


Plot Twist

by jojenstarked



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Squip, Everyone is a Good Friend, Flirting, Fluff, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious Jake, Pining, Slow Burn, dustin is only in this for like three seconds hes mainly mentioned, heavy use of the word bro, jake uses a cane sometimes, jealous jake, rich has a lisp but im not writing it out, theres a lot of texting, you can pry criminal justice major jake dillinger from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojenstarked/pseuds/jojenstarked
Summary: Jake wasn't homophobic. At least, he thought he wasn't. He was ecstatic when Michael and Jeremy finally started dating senior year of high school. He was one of the driving factors that got Chloe and Brooke together. Hell, he was Rich's number one supporter when he came out as bisexual their junior year of high school! So why now, sophomore year of college, did it bother the fuck out of him when his best friend and roommate started bringing home guys?





	Plot Twist

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this post](http://joeshardy.tumblr.com/post/172729972209/mamatronchatoro-puppygays-oh-god-they-were)

Rich and Jake met their freshman year of high school and immediately became best friends. Even after Jake joined the basketball team and clubs like Model UN and rose in the popularity ranks, he made sure that his friendship with Rich remained intact, which then caused Rich’s popularity to skyrocket.

The pair had been through a lot together in their five years as best friends. Jake was the first person that Rich told about his alcoholic father. When Jake went home one day after school and found his house empty, except for a note from his parents letting him know they were on the run and weren’t coming back, he called Rich. Junior year of high school, when a freak accident caused his house to catch fire during his Halloween party, Jake risked his life to go back inside and save Rich, breaking both his legs from jumping out a second story window to escape the flames. Rich came out as bisexual to Jake well before telling the rest of their friends. They did almost everything together, so it was no surprise when the pair decided to get an apartment together after their first year of college.

Freshman year flew by fast. They all joined the drama club, vowing to continue what brought them all together in high school. Jeremy and Michael ended up joining the video game club, Chloe and Brooke joined the cheer squad while Jake joined the basketball team after his physical therapist gave him the thumbs-up to go back to playing sports, and Rich roped them all into joining the LGBT club. They all managed to pass their classes with only a handful of stress induced panic attacks.

Jake reflected on his friendship with Rich and the others as he waited for his roommate to get back from a meeting for the LGBT club. He unfortunately had to skip out on attending the meeting because of his midterm in his theories of crime class at the end of the week. He’d been studying for the past three hours straight and desperately needed a distraction, and Rich was the best distraction one could get.

He looked up from his notes when he heard the apartment door open. Rich walked inside, arms full of takeout food. He grinned big when he saw Jake on the couch.

“Hey, bro!” he greeted, setting the food down in the kitchen. “We missed you at today’s meeting. It felt weird without our token straight.”

Jake snorted and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. His back hurt from bending over his notes for so long. “Wish I could’ve been there, but this class is kicking my ass and I really need to do well on this midterm.”

Rich nodded. “I feel you, bro. I figured you were suffering so I picked up some Chinese on the way back! I got your favorites!”

He began to unpack to food. The smell made Jake’s mouth water.

“You are a fucking godsend, you know that?” Jake sighed as he reached for the food Rich set in front of him. “I’ve been making flash cards about Sykes and Matza’s neutralization theory for the past three hours and I’m about to lose my mind. I’m so glad you’re home, bro. I’m in desperate need of a distraction.

Rich stuffed a couple dumplings in his mouth before giving Jake a big smile.

“Distraction is my middle name! C’mon, Jakey D, let's go watch some TV,” he said through a mouthful of food.

Jake laughed fondly and muttered, “Gross.”

Rich just winked at him before grabbing his food and heading into the living room to sit on the couch. Jake grabbed a couple of beers before following and sitting down next to him. Rich grabbed the remote from off the coffee table before adjusting himself so that his back was against the arm of the couch and his legs were thrown over Jake’s lap.

“So what d’you feel like watching?” he asked through another mouthful of food, accepting the beer Jake handed to him.

“Anything but crime dramas, bro. I’ve had enough of the law for the night,” Jake sighed, taking a swig of his beer. He leaned his head against the back of the couch.

“Okay, okay, I got you, bro.” Rich started flipping through the channels while shoveling food into his mouth. “Here we go.”

Jake looked up and immediately recognized the opening to _The Golden Girls_. He glanced over at Rich, who had a satisfied smile on his face.

“You know me so well, dude.”

“I’d be surprised if I didn’t,” Rich replied, his cheeks slightly pink, which Jake assumed was from the alcohol.

The Hallmark Channel was having a _Golden Girls_ marathon, so it wasn’t long before the pair broke into the theme song at the start of the next episode. Rich dabbed on the last note, causing Jake to double over with laughter.

Rich gave him a high-five before re-adjusting himself on the couch. He swung his legs over the arm and rested his head on Jake’s lap. He absentmindedly began to thread his fingers through Rich’s hair as he focused on the show. He let out a content sigh which made Jake smile.

“Hey, Jake?”

“Yeah, bro?”

Rich bit his lip in thought. “I’m going out with a guy tomorrow. Like on a date. I wanna embrace my bisexuality and branch out, since I only dated girls in high school,” he told him, his lisp becoming more prominent as he talked faster.

Jake’s hand stilled. “That’s awesome, dude!” he said enthusiastically, ignoring the weird feeling in his stomach. It was probably too much Chinese food.

Rich looked up at him. “You’re okay with it?”

“Of course, I’m okay with it, dumbass!” Jake told him, flicking him on the forehead.

“Okay, bro. I just wanted to double check because there’s a chance he might come back here so we can, you know,” Rich smirked as he made a circle with his thumb and index finger and pushed his other index finger into it.

Jake snorted and rolled his eyes, the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach growing worse. Maybe he should get some rest. It was a Wednesday night after all, and his midterm was Friday. He gently pushed Rich off his lap. Jake gathered up his leftovers and stuck them in the fridge.

“I’m turning in. Studying and all that food really took a toll on me.” Jake stretched, his shirt riding up slightly. Rich looked away and picked up his takeout containers. “Lunch tomorrow?”

“Hell yeah, bro!” Rich cheered, pulling out his phone to alert the group chat.

Jake smiled at him before heading to him room. “Night, dude,” he called out before shutting his door.

He stripped down and climbed into bed. The unsettling feeling in his stomach remained until he drifted off to sleep.

-

Jake woke to the blaring sound of his alarm clock at exactly eight o’clock AM. He had Abnormal Psychology today, one of the classes required for his Criminal Justice major. It was his only class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but he cursed his professor for only offering a nine-thirty AM section. He had the class with Rich, since his Social Work major also required it, so it wasn’t totally a bad thing.

His bedroom door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud _BANG!_ Before Jake had time to process what just happened, Rich ran inside and jumped on Jake’s bed, practically body slamming the taller teen and knocking the wind out of him. As he struggled to catch his breath, Rich smiled at him from his place on his chest.

“What the fuck, Richard?” Jake sputtered. “Why are you awake? I usually have to drag you out of bed.”

Rich rolled off him and pressed himself against Jake’s side. “I see you haven’t checked your email yet.”

“Since when do _you_ check your email?” Jake asked as he reached for his phone.

Sure enough, in his inbox was an email from their professor cancelling class because he came down with the flu.

“We can sleep in,” Rich whispered excitedly, getting under Jake’s blankets.

Jake rolled his eyes fondly. “I doubt I’ll be able to fall back asleep after your decision to almost kill me.”

Rich rolled over, so his back was facing Jake. “Fine! Cuddle me so I can go back to sleep, bitch.”

He complied and wrapped his arms around the shorter teen, pulling him against his chest and placing his chin on top of his head.

“Don’t you have another class today?” Jake inquired.

Rich’s voice was muffled from the pillow when he replied. “Professor is at a conference, we don’t have that class at all this week.”

Jake hummed in acknowledgement as he closed his eyes.

It wasn’t uncommon for the pair to share a bed like this. When Jake found his house empty junior year, Rich slept over every night for more than a month, holding him tightly as Jake cried about how his parents didn’t love him. They found themselves in each other’s beds constantly after the fire, comforting each other after horrible nightmares about the other dying. Even freshman year of college, when they lived on opposite sides of campus, they would still come running in the middle of the night when called.

This morning was different. It was just two dudes sharing a bed, free of trauma, and Jake loved it. He pulled Rich a little closer and closed his eyes, the small snores from his best friend lulling him back to sleep.

The next time Jake was awoken, it was by the constant buzzing of his cell phone. A less painful method, but still extremely annoying. He grabbed it blindly and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Finally! He lives!” It was Michael.

Jake rubbed the sleep out of his eyes a sat up. “Dude, what’s up?”

“Chloe, I’m getting there!” he heard Michael snap on the other end. “Lunch, remember? It’s almost two, dude! We’re all already here. We’ve been waiting on you and Rich for ten minutes!”

“It was your idea!” Chloe shouted. Jake assumed she took Michael’s phone.

“Give me that!” There was a moment of silence before Michael spoke. “You still coming?”

“Yeah, sorry. Class got cancelled so we went back to sleep. We’ll be there in fifteen,” Jake reassured him as he shook Rich awake.

He ducked out of the way to avoid being slapped by Rich as he jolted upright. When he gave him a puzzled look, Jake simply mouthed, “Lunch.” Rich nodded and climbed out of his bed to get ready.

Michael sniggered in the other end. “We, you say?”

Jake laughed. Knowing Michael, he was probably wiggling his eyebrows. “Oh, you know it.”

Michael scoffed. “Okay, see you, straighty,” he said before ending the call.

Jake hopped out of bed and threw on some clothes. He grabbed his phone and keys before heading into the living room to wait for Rich.

He emerged five minutes later. Jake noted that he was wearing one of his signature muscle tees. He smiled to himself, so proud that Rich would rather show off his burns than hide them.

“Ready?” he asked.

Rich grinned and nodded. “Hell yeah! I’m fucking starving!”

Jake rolled his eyes fondly. Rich led the way out of the apartment, locking the door after Jake closed it. They made their way down the stairs and toward Jake's car that was parked toward the back of the parking lot. As Jake switched on the ignition, Rich connected his phone to the AUX chord. They reached the restaurant agreed on by the group chat fifteen minutes later. They headed inside, immediately locating their group.

“It’s about time!” Chloe groaned loudly as they walked over to the table.

Rich stuck his tongue out at her. “Going out together means we never have to look too long to find each other if any of us are late because you’re so fucking loud.”

She flipped him off and draped her arm back around Brooke. “What took you so long anyway?”

“They were sleeping together,” Michael answered for them, grinning big at the pair as they sat down in front of him and Jeremy, who gave them a confused look.

“Yeah, we were _totally_ fucking,” Rich nodded, leaning into Jake.

Jake raised his eyebrows suggestively, putting his arm around the shorter teen. “Oh, absolutely.”

Jenna laughed, Christine joining in soon after. Michael snorted, leaning into his boyfriend. Jeremy shook his head at his friends, a grin on his face as he pushed Michael away. Brooke was smiling as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Chloe rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on her face.

“You wish, short stuff,” she said.

“I would never betray Jake’s straightness,” Rich vowed seriously.

Jake looked at him. “I know this, and I love you.”

The waiter returned, and the group ordered their food. They began to talk idly about any topic that came to mind while they waited for their food. When their server returned with their orders, the conversation didn’t stop.

Rich checked his phone after it vibrated against the table. “Oh shit, it’s already four?”

“What’s the rush, Richie?” Brooke asked, picking at her salad with her fork.

“I have a date!” he announced proudly, sitting up straight, obviously hoping to be asked about it.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? What girl did you trick into going out with you?”

Rich gave he a flat stare. “First of all, rude. Second of all, I’m going out with a guy!” He flashed the group a big smile.

Jake smiled next to him. Michael reached over the table to give him a high-five.

“Congrats, dude,” Jeremy spoke up.

“Thanks, bi bro!” Rich flashed him finger guns, to which Jeremy responded by rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I didn’t expect to be here for so long so he’s gonna pick me up from here instead of at home. Jakey, I trust you to tip accordingly and keep my change safe?” he asked as he placed down a twenty-dollar bill.

Jake gave him a two-finger salute. “You got it, bro. Have fun!” he called as Rich exited the restaurant.

“So, Jake,” Chloe began. “Do you know anything about Rich’s mystery man?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I only heard about him last night and I was too tired to ask any questions.”

“I’m glad he’s comfortable enough to start branching out,” Christine commented with a soft smile.

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, it’s good that he’s dating again. He didn’t date at all last year. He wanted to, and I quote, ‘Get this college shit under control before anyone gets the Richard Goranski experience.’”

Jake chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like him. I hope he has a good time.”

There was a twinge in his stomach. He must’ve eaten too much. He shrugged it off and resumed his conversation with his friends.

The checks came and the group paid, tipping their waiter generously for putting up with all their shouting and Chloe’s unintentional rudeness. Jake made sure to pocket Rich’s change before leaving the restaurant. They loitered in the parking lot beside Brooke’s car.

“Do you guys want to come with me and Chlo to Pinkberry?” she asked the group.

Jenna sighed. “I would love to but unfortunately I have a deadline coming up and I need to get my ass in gear. I’ll be there in spirit.” She waved goodbye as she headed to her Jeep.

“I’ll come! I have rehearsal, so I won’t be able to stay too long,” Christine answered. “I’ll need a ride, though.”

“I got you,” Jake said, earning him a smile from Christine.

Michael sighed loudly and slung his arm around his boyfriend’s neck. “Unfortunately, Jer and I are unable to join you. I have a programming project due tomorrow at midnight.”

Brooke tilted her head. “If you’re the one with the project, why can’t Jeremy come?”

“Because, dear Brooke, Jeremy promised that if I finish the project today then he’ll give me a–”

“Michael!” Jeremy interrupted, face totally red.

“What?” Michael was grinning. “We’re all friends here.”

Chloe shuddered. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely don't want to hear this. C’mon, Brooke.”

The two girls climbed into Brooke’s yellow Buggy, leaving Jake in the parking lot with Christine, Michael, and Jeremy.

“We should probably go,” Jake nudged Christine. “Have fun, you two. Finish that project, Michael!”

He smirked at him. “Oh, I fully intend to!”

Michael grabbed Jeremy by the wrist and pulled him over to his battered PT Cruiser. Christine and Jake got into his old Mercedes and took off toward Pinkberry.

-

Jake dropped Christine off at her dorm before heading back to his apartment. It was almost seven o’clock; they were at Pinkberry way longer than any of them intended since her rehearsal got cancelled. He parked his car and headed up the stairs to his shared apartment, arms full of groceries he’d picked up on the way home from Christine’s.

The door was unlocked, meaning Rich was home from his date. His bedroom door was shut, signaling that he wanted to be left alone. Maybe it was a bad date, Jake thought.

He walked into the kitchen and started putting away the groceries. As he was putting away the perishables in the fridge, he heard a high pitched moan come from Rich’s room. The carton of milk he was holding nearly fell from his grip.

His stomach dropped. Jake forgot all about what Rich said about possibly bringing his date back to the apartment for sex. He quickly put the rest of the groceries away and grabbed the snacks he bought for studying. Not wanting to invade on Rich’s privacy any more than he already had, Jake quickly booked it to his room, shutting his door behind him.

The uneasy feeling in his stomach remained as he got to studying. He tried to distract himself but his mind always went back to Rich.

Jake slapped both of his cheeks. “It’s not my business who Rich sleeps with,” he told himself. “He’s my best friend and I’m supportive that he’s getting some. Now focus on studying, Dillinger, unless you want to fail this midterm.”

He managed to focus on his theories of crime notes for a whole hour before taking a break. He reached for his phone to check what was going on in the group chat.

 

**[ squip squad ]**

**player 1** : hot take: jake is hot

 **valentino white bag** : that’s hardly a hot take everyone knows that

 **totally boss** : mikey that’s gay

 **player 1** : ;)

 **valentino white bag** : dont u have a midterm to be studying for

 **totally boss** : aw chlo u do care <3

 **totally boss** : i’m taking a study break

 **totally boss** : i’m munchin on some cheese nips rn

 **player 2** : they still make those????

 **totally boss** : oh hell yeah they do

 **totally boss** : here’s a hot take: cheese nips > cheez-its

 **player 1** : valid

 **bi bi bi** : [ https://youtu.be/lQlIhraqL7o ](https://youtu.be/lQlIhraqL7o)

**player 1** : classy

 **player 1** : BUT congrats dude

 **player 1** : i take it the date went well?

 **bi bi bi** : ;)

 **bi bi bi** : @totally boss hes gone so u dont have to hole up in ur room

 **player 1** : he didn’t stay?? *eyes emoji*

 **bi bi bi** : we have classes tomorrow idiot

 **valentino white bag** : not if ur me!!!!

 **bi bi bi** : die

 **totally boss** : Okay

 **xoxo gossip girl** : capitalization huh…..

 **xoxo gossip girl** : *eyes emoji* *magnifying glass emoji*

 **totally boss** : sometimes people forget to lowercase jenna

 **totally boss** : it’s not that Deep

 **totally boss** : anyway i’m going back to studying so if i don’t answer again it’s because criminological theory killed me

 **player 2** : we’ll send rich to check on u in intervals

 **totally boss** : <3

 

Jake plugged in phone into the charger at his desk and returned to his notes.

A couple minutes later, his bedroom door opened and Rich slipped inside, carrying his backpack. He threw himself onto Jake’s bed.

“Sup, dude,” Jake greeted as he shuffled his notecards together. “Before I forget, here’s your change.” He pulled the bills out of his pocket and handed them to Rich, which graciously accepted them.

“We’re turning this room into a study room, bro. Studying by yourself is lame.”

“As long as you promise not to distract me _too_ much, you can stay.”

Rich rolled his eyes. “Dude, you get straight As! It’s not like you need to study this much!”

Jake flushed slightly. “Whatever! I’ve been getting the theories all mixed up so I _really_ need to get them straight.”

“They’re not the only thing that’s straight!” Rich joked, shooting Jake finger guns.

He couldn’t help but laugh. “You got that right.”

“I’ll quiz you if you help me with some math,” Rich propositioned.

Jake raised his eyebrow. “Aren’t you in, like, college algebra? Isn’t that supposed to be super easy?”

“Not when you’re notoriously bad at math!” he protested, crossing his arms defensively.

“Alright, you have a deal,” Jake replied, grinning. “I take priority, though, so go for it, bro.” He tossed the stack of notecards to Rich.

With another eye roll, Rich shuffled the notecards. “You ready, Dillinger?”

“Bring it, Goranski.”

-

Jake woke before his alarm with a dull ache in his legs. He grimaced as he sat up, rubbing his legs gingerly. He’d been neglecting his morning stretches for the past couple of days and now he was paying for it. He knew that even after doing his stretches today he’d need his cane.

He stood up with a groan and began the routine that his physical therapist had created for him. Other than the ache in his legs, he felt well rested. He and Rich had finished his studying around ten PM, when the shorter teen declared that he had all the theories locked down in his brain. They’d moved on to Rich’s math work until he passed out a little after midnight from what Jake called ‘the power of math’. He’d carefully dragged him back to his own room before passing out.

Jake retrieved his cane from his closet before started getting ready for the day so he wouldn’t forget. He showered and brushed his teeth before getting dressed. He staggered over to his desk to gather his materials for class. He opened his draw to grab the information he needed for the SGA meeting that night. Jake shoved everything into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, reaching for his cane.

He wanted to leave before Rich woke up so he wouldn’t have to worry him with the fact that his legs were aching enough for him to use his cane, something he hadn’t needed in months.

He checked his phone. It was six twenty-three, which gave him roughly thirty minutes to kill before the seven o’clock bus arrived. Jake dropped his stuff on the couch and walked into the kitchen, propping his cane against one of the bar stools.

Rich’s bedroom door opened. Jake assumed he woke him up from all the noise he was making in the kitchen. He turned around to greet him but he faltered when he saw Rich frowning.

“Why didn’t you tell me your legs were hurting?” the shorter teen asked.

Jake cursed inwardly. “It’s not that bad, I swear. They only just started hurting today. I’ve been forgetting to do my stretches in the morning,” he reassured him. “I did them today so they’ll be better in no time.”

For some reason, Rich looked even more upset. “You weren’t able to do them yesterday because of me,” he muttered.

“Shut up, Rich,” Jake said firmly. “None of this is your fault. It’s my forgetful ass’ fault, and mine alone. Now stop being sad. You being sad is going to affect my performance on this midterm.”

Rich laughed and broke into a grin. “Now you have to get an A.”

“I’ll do it for you, bro.” Jake grabbed his cane. “I gotta go catch the bus or else I’ll be late. See you later, man. Movie marathon tonight?”

“Hell yeah! Good luck, dude!” Rich called as he headed out the door. “You better text me if your pain gets worse!”

Jake flashed him a thumbs-up. “Of course, bro.”

The bus ride went by quickly. Jake was able to get a seat so he didn't have to strain his legs by standing the entire time. His music played softly in his ears, distracting him from the noise around him. He hobbled off when the bus pulled to a stop on campus. With a sigh, he headed toward the Criminal Justice building to his first class of the day, mentally preparing himself for his midterm.

The midterm was way easier than Jake was expecting. He was so glad he’d studied as much as he did because there wasn’t a question on it he didn’t know. His professor had said the grades would be posted later in the day so Jake was full of anticipation the whole day.

The rest of his classes flew by and before he knew it, it was time for the SGA meeting, which was just as boring as Jake expected. He spent the parts of the meeting when he wasn’t contributing on his phone, messaging the group chat. He was alerted by an email that his midterm grades were posted so he quickly went to check. Jake sighed in relief and reopened the group chat.

 

**[ squip squad ]**

**totally boss** : hey hoes got my midterm grades back!

 **player 2** : !! what’d u get??

 **totally boss** : 100 babeyyy

 **valentino white bag** : didn’t expect anything less from the resident smart ass

 **totally boss** : ur just jealous

 **player 1** : jake is a god

 **pinkberry babe** : good job jakey!!

 **totally boss** : <3 @michael and @brooke

 

He tuned back into the SGA meeting to find it ending. Jake looked at the time. If he was quick, he’d be able to take the six o’clock bus back home. He said his goodbyes to the other members and hurried as quick as he could on his aching legs to catch the bus.

There were no seats left, which Jake wouldn’t have minded if his legs weren’t in pain, but a young woman quickly offered him her seat when she noticed his cane. He thanked her profusely and sat down, letting out a sigh. The bus ride was uneventful. He spent the whole trip checking his social media and replying to texts from his friends. Eventually, the bus pulled to a halt and his stop. He thanked the driver as he hopped off, his neon yellow backpack slung over his shoulder. Jake put his phone in his pocket and headed to his apartment, ready to tell Rich about his midterm, since he was absent from the group chat when he told the others.

“Rich, holy fuck, you’re not going to believe this! Well, maybe you ar–”

Jake immediately shut up when he saw Rich. He was on their couch, and he wasn’t alone. He was in the lap of some guy Jake didn’t recognize, making out with him. Jake’s good mood dissipated and his stomach churned violently.

Halfway through Jake’s rambling as he burst into the apartment, Rich and the stranger had separated, both equally red in the face. Rich had gotten off his partner's lap and was now standing, avoiding eye contact with Jake. The stranger looked from Jake to Rich before getting to his feet.

“I’m, uh. I’m gonna go,” he said to Rich. “Text me if you want.” He left the apartment, shutting the door. Jake had forgotten to do that when he got back.

Jake felt sick, like he was going to throw up. He leaned on his cane.

“Sorry you had to see that. I, uh, didn’t think you were going to be back this early,” Rich admitted sheepishly, obviously embarrassed.

“It’s fine,” Jake replied weakly, finding it oddly hard to speak. “I should’ve told you.”

He waved him off. “It’s your apartment, too. So what was I not going to believe?”

“What?”

Rich put his hands in his pockets. “When you came in you wanted to tell me something. I think.”

“Oh, right. I got my midterm grade back. I aced it,” Jake told him, the nausea still present. “It’s all thanks to you.”

Rich brightened and ran over to Jake, hugging him tightly. “That’s awesome, bro! I told you you’d get an A!”

For some reason the contact made the nausea even worse. Jake gently pushed Rich off him, missing the hurt that flashed across his face

“Thanks, dude.”

Jake grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, hoping it would help settle whatever was up with his stomach, and made his way toward his room. He knew he promised Rich they’d have a movie marathon but he really wasn’t feeling up to it.

“Um, Jake? Are you okay?” Rich asked him, genuinely concerned. “Are we still going to have that movie marathon? It’s alright if you don’t want to.”

Jake frowned. He knew Rich was disappointed and he hated that he was the cause of it. “I’m sorry, man, but I’m like super tired from the midterm and the meeting. Plus my stomach feels like shit for some reason so I think I’m gonna go to bed. Postpone it to tomorrow?”

Rich nodded. “Okay. Feel better, bro. If you need anything just text me.”

“Will do.”

Jake watched Rich disappear into his bedroom before heading into his own room. He tossed his cane to the side and collapsed onto his bed, letting out a loud groan.

He tried to fall asleep but his brain wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Rich and that guy. Jake stared at the ceiling, a deep frown on his face. He tried to wrap his head around why he felt so disgusted.

“I don’t fucking get it,” he muttered to himself. “Why do I feel like shit? Maybe because I caught them by surprise?” He thought for a second before sighing. “I never felt like this when he dated girls back in high school. At least, I don’t think I did.” Jake sat up suddenly. “Oh my god. Am I...homophobic? No, okay, am I fucking stupid? I didn’t have a problem at all with Michael and Jeremy, in fact I wholeheartedly supported the shit out of them. Brooke and Chloe, too! Even while Chloe and I had the whole ‘friends with benefits’ disaster happening freshman year, I still helped her figure out her feelings for Brooke! I’m just overreacting to something that was just a little surprising,” he tried to reassure himself.

After ten minutes of internal conflict, Jake got dressed for bed. He closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on what he’d seen, and the stress from the week finally caught up to him. Within minutes he was asleep, the nauseous feeling still present.

-

Jake woke up the next morning feeling even more exhausted. Checking the time, he found that it was a little after ten o’clock. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before pulling himself out of bed and starting his stretches. At least his legs felt a lot better.

It was Saturday so when he left his bedroom, he didn’t expect to see Rich sitting at the bar. He approached with curiosity and caution.

“Hey, Richie,” Jake said as he entered the kitchen. “Any reason you’re up before one on a Saturday?”

Rich looked up from his cereal and rolled his eyes at him. “I don’t sleep that much, Jake.” He flushed at Jake’s raised eyebrow. “Okay, whatever. Anyway, I’m going on a date! It’s a different guy from last time. His name is Eric, by the way,” he told his best friend excitedly.

Jake tensed over the stove. “That’s awesome, bro!” he forced a grin but it didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t want to upset Rich. “You still gonna be up for movie night tonight?”

“Hell yeah, dude! It cool if I text the squip squad and invite them?”

Jake nodded as he cooked his eggs. “Definitely.” He thought for a second. “Honestly? How did that even become our squad name? Like what the fuck is a squip?”

Rich laughed. “Didn’t Michael and Jeremy get like, really high one night senior year and name it that? It stands for something, I think.”

“Oh yeah! It stands for like, super quirky something something people.”

“I can’t believe it stuck. It must be the alliteration,” Rich mused.

“Oh, it’s definitely the alliteration,” Jake shot back, his grin now reaching his eyes.

Rich snorted and went back to his cereal. Jake shoveled his eggs onto his plate and sat next to him at the bar. He pulled out his phone to check what Rich had sent while cooking.

 

**[ squip squad ]**

**bi bi bi** : hey gays (and jake)

 **bi bi bi** : who wants 2 come over 2 the bro suite n wtach some movies 2nite!!!!!!?

 **totally boss** : wtach

 **bi bi bi** : i trusted u

 **bi bi bi** : i was INCLUSIVE in the greeting

 **bi bi bi** : and this is how u repay me

 **totally boss** : i know this and i love you but that’s just how it be in group chats

 **bi bi bi** : >:(

 **i’m shakespearean** : good morning!! you’re up early rich! also i’m down for movies i’ll just need a ride

 **bi bi bi** : CHRISTINE! hello

 **valentino white bag** : brooke and i are down and we can get you christine

 **valentino white bag** : rich is never up on saturdays before 1 something is Up

 **player 1** : wtach

 **player 1** : movies??? im IN jeremy too

 **bi bi bi** : michael,,,,,,,, bro,, :(

 **bi bi bi** : everyone shut up and let me be awake it’s bc i have a DATE

 **xoxo gossip girl** : wtach

 **xoxo gossip girl** : i’m down to clown for movie night and @chloe i can get christine bc im closer

 **player 1** : never ever Ever say down to clown again

 **player 2** : *clown emoji*

 **player 1** : shut up jeremy i will pistol whip you on sight

 **bi bi bi** : fine dont ask me abt my date

 **totally boss** : the alternative to dtf,,, dtc

 **player 1** : Bad

 **pinkberry babe** : is this the same guy richie??

 **bi bi bi** : at least ill always have brookie

 **bi bi bi** : no its a diff dude his name is eric and he’s picking me up in 20 minutes and im not wearing pants

 **bi bi bi** : im gonna go put some on

 **player 1** : that’s a good idea dude good luck

 **player 1** : with the pants and the date

 **totally boss** : image.jpg

 **totally boss** : there he goes

 **totally boss** : anyway! movies around 6 but literally come whenever

 **totally boss** : i’m lonely without rich

 **player 1** : there isn’t a finger guns emojis so here’s a picture jeremy just took of me doing them

 **player 1** : image.jpg

 

Jake snorted and set down his phone. He picked up his plate and Rich’s bowl and put them in the dishwasher.   

Rich reemerged into the living room looking nervous. Jake gave him a reassuring smile.

“Dude, stop stressing. You look hot. You're gonna have a great time. Just relax,” Jake told him.

“Thanks, bro.”

There was a knock at the door and the nausea from last night returned. Jake gave Rich a thumbs up as he went to open it. He waved as he followed his date out of the apartment. Jake let out a heavy sigh and retreated to the couch, settling down to take a nap, hoping that he’d feel better when he woke up.

-

Jake woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. A sense of deja vu washed over him as he tried to remember if he was supposed to be somewhere. When he finally reached for his phone, it stopped ringing. He pressed the home button and his stomach dropped.

_2 missed calls from Rich. 16 unread messages from Rich._

He checked the messages first.

 

**[ from: rich ]**

**rich** : tbh this guy isnt that cute up close

 **rich** : is that mean???? its true

 **rich** : *shrug emoji*

 **rich** : we gettin lunch o hell yeah

 **rich** : dude why rnt u answering ur always on yo damn phone

 **rich** : did u slip into a coma or smthn

 **rich** : brb we sittin

 **rich** : :\

 **rich** : he wont stop askin abt my burns

 **rich** : “if we start dating youll have to cover them up”

 **rich** : so uh i left

 **rich** : im in a mcdonalds now

 **rich** : jake dude

 **rich** : jakey d answer ur fucking phone

 **rich** : blease

 **rich** : ok txting isnt working im gonna call u

 

He sighed in relief when the time stamp for the message was just ten minutes ago. He called back immediately, guilt twisting in his chest.

He didn’t even give Rich a chance to speak when he picked up. “Dude, I’m so fucking sorry for not answering you, I fell back asleep. I’m coming to get you right now. Where are you?” He grabbed his keys and rushed to his car as he spoke.

Rich sniffed and Jake slammed his car door shut angrily. If Jake ever saw this guy, he’d beat the shit out of him for making his best friend cry.

“U-um,” Rich cleared his throat. “I’m still at the McDonalds. It’s the one across from the dry cleaners downtown.”

“On my way,” Jake said, “Do you want me to stay on the phone?”

“I don’t want you to die, dumbass,” Rich laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, if you say so. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised as hung up and started his car, pulling out of his parking space and heading toward Rich.

Jake didn’t remember the drive to the McDonalds. He had one thing on his mind and that was getting to Rich as soon as possible so he wasn’t alone anymore. He parked his car and practically ran inside the restaurant.

Rich waved to him enthusiastically as he walked inside. He approached him and sat down in the seat across from him.

“You okay, bro?”

He shrugged. “Better than I was. Crying in the bathroom really helped.”

Jake frowned. “If you ever see this guy while we’re together on campus, point him out to me so I can kick his fucking ass.”

“I love it when you defend my honor,” Rich joked.

“What kind of best friend would I didn’t? You’ve done it for me in the past. Remember when that asshole yelled at me for parking in a handicap spot?” Jake reminisced.

Rich grinned, face reddening slightly. “Oh I remember. I got back into the car to take out the pass to show it to him and then when he accused you of faking it, I threatened to beat him up.”

“You didn’t just threaten him, you took my cane and waved it at him like a madman, effectively scaring the shit out of him,” Jake reminded him.

“Good times.”

The taller teen laughed. “Do you wanna get some nuggets to go and take a nap before movie night?”

“Jake, you literally just woke up from a nap.”

“I was talking about you. We still have a few hours to kill before people start coming over,” he said pointedly.

“Oh, in that case, fuck yeah.”

Jake rolled his eyes fondly. “Alright then let’s get some fucking nugs.”

They ended up ordering two boxes of twenty piece nuggets and two large fries. They grabbed the food and headed back to Jake’s car. He backed out of the parking spot and pulled out onto the road toward their apartment.

When they approached their complex, Rich spoke up.

“Do they really make me look that ugly?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Jake immediately turned to look at him, momentarily forgetting he was driving. Rich was rubbing at the burns that lightly scarred the left side of his face. “Rich, wh- Shit.” Remembering he was still on the road, he quickly turned his gaze back to the road, narrowly avoiding rear ending a car parked on the side of the road. “Okay, hold on.”

“Jesus,” Rich muttered, gripping tightly onto their bags of food.

Jake hurriedly pulled into his spot and parked the car. He removed his seatbelt and turned back to Rich, who still seemed shaken from the accident he’d almost gotten them into.

“Okay, back to what I was going to say. Rich, what the fuck?” he said angrily. “You’re hot, okay? And to add to that, you have a really fucking amazing personality, and if people can’t appreciate that, then they can go fuck themselves! Who cares what people think? Fuck them! You’re going to find someone one day who loves you for who you are, scars and all! And until then, I’ll beat the fucking crap out of anyone that makes you feel like this.”

Rich looked taken aback by Jake’s outburst, but then his expression softened and he broke into a huge grin. “Dude, stop, you’re going to make me cry.”

“It’s the truth, bro,” Jake told him honestly. “Now let’s go inside and eat these damn nugs, I’m starving.”

The shorter teen rolled his eyes. “You got it, bro. Then I’m passing out until movies. Today’s been fucking exhausting.”

-

Around six, their friends sent messages into the group chat letting Jake and Rich know that they were on their way. Jake replied to let them know that the door was unlocked and they could just come in when they arrived.

Rich was still asleep, sprawled out on top on Jake on the couch. Jake was absentmindedly paying attention to what was on TV, one arm behind his head and the other draped over Rich’s middle.

Michael and Jeremy were the first to arrive. Figures, since they lived the closest. Michael swug the door open and announced his arrival with a loud exclamation of, “Michael makes an entrance!”

Rich lifted his head from Jake’s chest and glared weakly at his friend. “Dude, seriously? People are trying to nap, y’know.”

Michael gave him an unsympathetic grin and shrugged. “Sorry, man.” He observed the pair on the couch. “That’s kinda gay, guys,” he joked.

“You’re gay,” Rich grumbled, rolling over so that he was facing the ceiling, back against Jake’s chest.

Jake grunted and turned his attention back to his friends. “We have cold chicken nuggets if you’re interested.”

“You can always count on good hospitality in the Dillinger-Goranski household,” Jeremy snorted as he sat down in their armchair, earning a grin from Rich.

“We love to provide.”

Michael rolled his eyes but reached for one of the open boxes of twenty-piece nuggets on the coffee table. He took a bite.

Jeremy grimaced at his boyfriend. “You’re not even going to heat it up?”

Michael just shrugged and collapsed on top of him. Jeremy groaned in pain and lightly shoved at him to get comfortable.

Jake shifted slightly. “Rich, bro, this is so uncomfortable. Get up for a second.”

He complied, hauling himself off his best friend. Jake pushed himself to one side of the couch, pulling his knees to his chest. Rich settled back so he was leaning back against Jake with his legs stretched across the couch.

The door opened and Chloe and Brooke walked in, each carrying two six-packs.

“You fuckers ready to party?” Chloe grinned wide, setting the boxes in the kitchen.

Rich shot his fist in the air, nearly hitting Jake in the jaw. “Hell yeah!” he cheered.

“Christ, Rich,” Jake reprimanded. “Watch where you swing that.”

He tilted his head back and grinned at his taller friend. “Sorry, bro. Hey, Brookie, can you bring me a beer, please?” he asked, giving the blonde his best puppy dogs eyes.

“Of course, Richie,” she replied sweetly as she opened one of the boxes. “Does anyone else want one?”

Jake and Michael accepted her offer with gratitude. Chloe pushed Rich’s legs to the side and sat down on the couch. She glared at him when he tried to rest them on her lap.

“Well what am I supposed to do with them, Chlo? Hanging halfway off the couch isn’t exactly comfortable,” Rich pounted.

“Then die,” Chloe said simply. She rolled her eyes. “Sit on Jake’s lap or something.”

Rich tilted his head back to stare at Jake, giving him a turn with his puppy dog eyes.

“God, fine. Get up, asshole.”

The shorter teen grinned triumphantly and stood up once again, waiting for Jake to adjust his position on the couch once again. He leaned back into the couch and propped his legs on the coffee table. Rich dropped down onto his lap, drawing another grunt of pain from the taller student.

“Why do you have to hurt me _every_ time?” Jake complained.

He smirked and leaned against Jake’s chest. Jake rested his chin on top of his head.

Brooke walked into the living room and distributed the drinks before sitting in between Chloe and Jake, leaning against her girlfriend. The door opened and in walked Jenna and Christine, arms full of Dunkin’ Donuts.

“‘Sup, gays,” Jenna said upon entry. “Oh, sorry. ‘Sup gays and Jake.”

Jake shot her a friendly glare which she answered by sticking her tongue out at him. Christine dumped the boxes of donuts onto the coffee table and sat on the floor in front of the chair Jeremy and Michael were currently occupying. Rich leaned forward and opened the box, grabbing a chocolate frosted donut.

He looked over his shoulder at Jake. “Want anything, bro?”

“Get me a glazed, dude.”

Rich nodded and passed him his donut of choice.

“How is it that you and Jake are couple goals when you aren’t even dating?” Jenna asked as she sat on the floor next to Christine.

“It’s a gift,” Rich answered with a wink.

“So what are we watching?” Jeremy asked the group, tearing a donut in half for him and Michael.

“I didn’t really plan that far ahead,” Jake said honestly. “Today was a lot.”

“You were asleep, like, the whole day,” Rich reminded him.

Jake rested his chin on Rich’s head. “Yeah but the part after I woke up from my nap was a lot.”

Brooke clasped her hands together, startling Chloe. “Oh yeah! How was your date, Rich?” she asked excitedly.

He made a face. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

The blonde’s face fell. “Oh no! Did it not go well?” She sounded genuinely upset.

Rich sighed. “The guy wouldn’t stop asking about my burns and that was already making me uncomfortable. He went too far when he told me that if we started dating, I’d have to cover them up. I walked out after that and Jake picked me up.”  

“That’s horrible!” Brooke exclaimed, squeezing Rich’s hand with her own in sympathy.

“I’ll fucking kill him,” Chloe growled.

“Have I ever mentioned how much I fucking love you guys?” Rich asked, a huge grin on his face.

“Yeah, like every day,” Michael drawled, causing Rich to stick his tongue out at him.

Christine clasped her hands together. “So what should we watch?”

Rich reached for the remote and turned on the TV. “Let’s see what’s on Netflix.”

“Hey, do you guys want to watch the _Boss Baby_ show?” Michael suggested when Rich pulled up Netflix.

“I’d rather get both my legs broken again than watch that,” Jake replied seriously.

As Rich scrolled, the gang watched the screen, waiting for something to catch their eye.

“Stop,” Jake said suddenly.

Rich stopped scrolling and looked back at him. “What, dude?”

“When did they add _Bolt_ to Netflix? I haven’t seen that movie in ages. Guys let’s watch _Bolt_.”

Chloe looked over at him fondly, knowing his love for Disney movies. “I’m down. I don’t think I’ve seen that movie since it first came out.”

Jake was ecstatic when they all agreed that _Bolt_ would be the first movie they watch. Rich selected it and pressed play, setting the remote on the coffee table. He grabbed another glazed donut and passed it to Jake without a word. He grabbed another for himself before settling back against Jake’s chest.

-

Jake woke up the next morning next to Rich. He’d given up his room for Chloe and Brooke since Chloe refused to stay in Rich’s. After their other friends has left, the couple decided to stay over after movie night since they lived the farthest away, and by the time they were sick of watching movies, it was almost two in the morning.

Jake could understand why. While he kept his room tidy, Rich’s was a mess. There were clothes were strewn across the floor, some dishes left on his desk, and a box of condoms spilled on his bedside table.

For a second, he was still too drowsy to acknowledge them, but then it hit him and Jake felt a pit form in his stomach. Rich was having sex. He was having sex with _guys_. He had sex with a guy just three days ago. In this bed.

Jake got out of Rich’s bed, hating how much this upset him for no fucking reason. He wanted to punch himself.

“Jakey?” Rich mumbled into his pillow, voice still thick with sleep. “What time s’it? Where’re you going?”

He froze and looked over his shoulder at his best friend. Rich had rolled over to face him, his eyes half open. He checked his phone.

“It’s seven-thirty,” Jake answered.

“Seven-thirty?” Rich repeated in outrage. “Dude, come back to bed.”

“No, I’m already awake,” Jake told him. “I can't stay in here any longer,” he added under his breath.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Jake, seriously. What’s up?” Rich sat up and gave him a concerned look. “You’ve been acting a little off lately.”

“Rich, it’s nothing,” Jake assured him. “My stomach’s just been acting up these past few days, but I’m fine. It’s nothing to worry about, dude.”

Rich didn’t look convinced but to Jake’s relief, he dropped it. “Okay, if you say so, bro. You’d let me know if something was really wrong though, right?”

Jake nodded. “Of course, dude.”

“I’m going back to sleep. You’re welcome to come back if you get tired,” Rich said as he settled back into his bed.

The taller teen nodded and left the room feeling only mildly guilty. He figured he’d come down with something over the past few days so he wasn’t exactly lying when he said his stomach was hurting.

He did his morning stretches in the living room before heading into the kitchen to make breakfast. As he cracked open a couple eggs, dropping them into a sizzling pan, he started thinking.

He knew one thing for certain: he didn’t like when Rich brought guys back to their apartment. Jake couldn’t figure out why. He knew it wasn’t because Rich liked guys because Jake didn’t give a shit about that. He hated feeling like this. A sense of dread settled in his stomach when he started thinking about what would happen if Rich actually got a boyfriend. He would probably end up moving out and Jake hated that. He always figured that he and Rich would always stick together.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the smell of something burning.

“Oh, fuck,” he cursed a bit too loudly.

Jake looked down and quickly pulled the pan off the stove and turned it off, discarding the burnt eggs in the trash can, praying the smoke alarm wouldn’t go off. He sighed and placed the pan in the sink a little too harshly. It was too early for any of this.

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms before running his fingers through his hair.

“God, I’m too tired for this shit,” he announced to himself.

Jake collapsed onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. He debated on whether or not he should do his stretches again, since he was wide awake and he wasn’t totally keeping up with them.

As he was trying to figure out if he could do them while laying down, his bedroom door opened. Chloe walked out, her brown hair mussed from sleep, wearing one of his shirts. He rolled his eyes fondly as she walked over to him.

“What’re you doing up so early?” she groaned. “You’re noisy.”

Jake smiled at her. “Sorry. I forgot about my eggs so they burned.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re up so early. The Jake Dillinger I know never willingly gets out of bed on a weekend before one o’clock,” Chloe remarked playfully.

“I’m just thinking,” he admitted, sitting up so she could join him on the couch.

Chloe raised an eyebrow as she sat down, swinging her legs onto his lap. “About?” she prompted.

Jake shrugged, knowing Chloe what would think about his situation and he wasn’t prepared to get yelled at a little after seven AM. “Things,” he told her vaguely.

She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so cryptic, it’s too early.”

He chuckled. “Chlo?”

The brunette hummed in acknowledgement.

“I’m glad you and Brooke are happy,” Jake stated, leaning his head back against the couch.

Chloe laughed. “While I really appreciate that, care to explain why you’re being particular sappy so early in the morning?”

Jake laughed with her. “I mean it! We were together the last two years of high school and we were happy but we weren’t _happy_ , you know? It took us a little too long to realize we were better off as friends. I’m glad you found someone who makes you truly happy. Even with that friends with benefits shitshow freshman year.”

She snorted at the memory. “While I love you, that was a mistake. But you really helped me out with my feelings about Brooke, which is hilarious because you don’t know the first thing about feelings. But I owe you one.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” he said, pointing his finger at her with a grin.

“God, you guys are so fucking loud.”

The pair looked over to see Rich standing outside his room with his arms crossed and an accusatory glare. He was still dressed in his pajamas: sweatpants and a loose tank top. His blond hair was messed up from sleep, and the red streak was fading.

“It’s like eight-thirty you heathens,” he complained, walking over to join them on the couch despite his irritation.

He lifted Chloe’s legs to sit in Jake’s lap before dropping the brunette’s legs onto his.

“Blame Jake,” Chloe said. “He’s the one who woke me up, with his cursing and cooking failures.”

Jake shot her a playful glare. “At least I know how to cook eggs.”

“Do you? Because if I remember correctly, you burned some this morning,” she teased.

“Shut up,” Jake mumbled as Rich laughed loudly at him.

Jake’s bedroom door opened and Brooke joined them in the living room. Normally an early riser, she was fully dressed when she appeared, her hair and makeup also done.

Jake smiled fondly as Brooke leaned over to kiss Chloe’s temple.

“All of you awake before me? The world must be ending,” the blonde joked, sitting on the floor beside her girlfriend.

Rich snorted. “It must be since Jake willingly got out of bed at seven-thirty this morning.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “It’s true. I’m the cause of the apocalypse.”

“He’s very loud,” Chloe nodded.

Rich glanced at her. “So are you, princess.”

“Asshole,” she said affectionately.

Brooke laughed along with her friends. “Since we’re all awake, do you want to go out for breakfast?”

“Oh, hell yeah,” Rich groaned. “I’m starving.”

“Should we invite the others? A few of them might be awake,” Jake suggested.

Brooke nodded. “Sure, let me text the group chat.”

“While you do that,” Chloe began, standing up, “I’m gonna get dressed.”

Brooke smiled at her and pulled out her phone.

 

**[ squip squad ]**

**pinkberry babe** : good morning everyone!! we’re going out to breakfast at the usual place if any of you guys want to join us!

 **i’m shakespearean** : me!!

 **player 2** : who is. we

 **pinkberry babe** : me, chloe, richie and jakey

 **player 1** : HA

 **player 1** : as if rich and jake would get up before noon on the weekend

 **bi bi bi** : fucker

 **player 1** : GASP

 **totally boss** : i’m here too hoe

 **player 2** : you’re upsetting the balance

 **player 2** : go back to sleep

 **bi bi bi** : hjkghfdkg no we eatin bitch

 **valentino white bag** : you losers coming or what

 **player 1** : is jenna dead or lurking

 **xoxo gossip girl** : >:)

 **player 1** : gay fear

 **xoxo gossip girl** : nah but i can’t come this assignment is kicking my ass and i wanna do well on it to boost my grade before break

 **player 1** : we’ll eat in your honor

 **xoxo gossip girl** : avenge me

 **player 2** : @christine me and micah can pick you up

 **i’m shakespearean** : okay!!!

 **pinkberry babe** : we’re on our way! we’ll see you guys in a bit!

 

Jake was the last one out of the apartment so he could lock it behind them. Brooke and Chloe headed toward the yellow Buggy in the visitor’s lot, waving goodbye to the pair. He walked over to his old Mercedes, Rich following behind him. Jake started the engine after he got inside.

The drive to Melody’s, their favorite breakfast spot, was a relatively short drive from their apartment. Rich plugged his phone into the AUX cord, shuffling the playlist they made for their parties and get togethers: apt 172 jams. He rolled down the window as “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj blasted from the speakers. Jake slowed the car down as they approached a red light. He watched as Rich made eye contact with the elderly couple in the car beside them. He laughed as his best friend stuck his tongue out, to the horror of the couple. The light turned green and they sped off.

When they pulled into the diner parking lot, they saw Chloe and Brooke climb out of her Buggy. Rich reached over and honked the horn, making the girls jump. He laughed as Chloe flipped him off. Jake pulled into the parking spot next to them.

“Do you always blast ‘Barbie Girl’ at nine o’clock in the morning?” Chloe asked as they got out of the car.

Jake shrugged. “It’s how I let people know I’m coming.”

Chloe snorted. “Michael, Jeremy, and Christine got here a few minutes before us. They already got a table,” she told them as they headed toward the entrance.

“Thank God,” Rich sighed. “I’m fucking hungry.”

They walked inside, searching for their friends. Jake caught sight of Michael waving for them to come over. He lead the rest of their party to the table and sat down. As they approached the table, a waiter came out and took down their drink orders.

“How did you beat us here?” Rich asked as he sat across from Jake and next to Jeremy. “You guys don’t live anywhere near here _and_ you picked up Christine.”

Michael snorted. “Jeremy drives pretty fast. It’s kinda scary.”

Jeremy gave his boyfriend a look of mock betrayal. “I do not!” he protested.

Christine giggled beside him. “You do, Jer!”

“I thought we were friends! And you betray me like this!” Jeremy joked dramatically, smiling wide.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “I refuse to believe that. I didn’t even know Jeremy could drive until now. I can't picture him driving, he’s too nervous all the time. Now that I know he can drive I’m just picturing him screaming the whole time.”

Beside him, Michael doubled over in his seat with laugher. Jeremy rolled his eyes at Jake. The rest of their friends joined in, causing Jeremy to redden.

“That’s exactly what happens,” Michael said between giggles. “But as picture him going, like, fifteen miles over the speed limit unintentionally.” He blew Jeremy a kiss when he caught his glare. “It’s why I don’t let him drive but I was up late last night and tired.”

“Jake doesn’t let me drive either,” Rich told them. He patted Jeremy on the shoulder. “Solidarity.”

“Yeah, because you drive like a total maniac. Intentionally,” Chloe pointed out, flipping through the menu even though they all already knew what they wanted since they came here so often.

Rich shrugged, grinning at Chloe from across the table. “Maybe so.”

The brunette rolled her eyes as their waiter approached the table. He distributed their drinks before pulling out his notepad. He took down their usual orders and disappeared into the kitchen.

“So,” Brooke began, “what’re everyone’s plans for fall break? Anyone going home?”

Michael shook his head. “Nah, but my moms are coming up for a day toward the end of break. They wanna see where I live and stuff and make sure I’m actually taking care of myself,” he explained fondly. “They’re visiting family in the Philippines before coming to see me so hopefully they bring back some snacks.”

“I’m going home for the weekend but I’ll be back Monday,” said Christine.

“I’m staying,” Chloe announced. “Brooke too.”

“The only home I have is here so I’m not going anywhere,” Jake said somewhat bitterly.

Chloe reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. He caught Rich’s gaze from across the table. Rich was frowning. He watched as his best friend pushed his chair back and walked around the table to where he was seated. Rich hugged his neck.

“It’s the only home you need,” he told him.

Jake smiled and squeezed Rich’s hands with his free one.

“Aw,” Michael cooed. “That’s so gay.”

“You’re gay,” Rich shot back, releasing Jake to return to his seat.

“Oh, wow, haven’t heard that one before,” Michael rolled his eyes with a grin.

The blonde stuck his tongue out at his friend. “I’m staying too. Apartment 172 is gonna be poppin’ this break. We’re gonna eat nothing but pizza and watch, like, every movie ever.”

Jake laughed. “I think we’d die.”

Rich frowned at him. “Well, with that attitude we will.”

Brooke took a sip of her La Croix. “Jeremy are you staying?”

“Yeah, I’m going home for Thanksgiving instead,” he replied. “Plus I like living on my own.”

The waiter appeared with their food. As they ate, the talked about the upcoming week. Brooke excitedly told them about her new part time job at the local children’s center.

“I’m so excited to start!” she grinned. “I think it’s a really good way to work with kids while I’m in school and will help me feel more comfortable working with kids. It’s a good stepping stone to finding an internship!”

Chloe smiled at her girlfriend. “You’re gonna do amazing. The kids will love you. Who wouldn’t?”

The blonde blushed as Chloe quickly kissed her cheek. Jake smiled at the pair.

Chloe talked about her upcoming midterm project, discussing the clothing she designed and how Michael and Brooke were going to model her two pieces at her runway presentation on Friday.

Jeremy looked at his boyfriend. “Really? You’re going to model?”

Michael blushed. “Yeah. Chloe came to me after she got assigned the project because the idea she had in mind ‘fit my style’ according her her,” he said, using air quotes. “And after seeing the sketch, I agreed. It’s gonna be a lot of a fun, I think.”

Chloe sipped her black coffee. “I thought about asking Jake to model again but the theme was vintage so of course I immediately thought of Michael,” she explained.

He blew her a kiss.

“It’s gonna be _so_ fun!” Brooke agreed, having modeled in one of Chloe’s shows before.

“You’re all invited, for course,” the brunette announced. “I’ll send the details into the group chat.”

“I’m excited to see it,” Jeremy smiled.

The conversation continued until the waiter returned with their checks. They approached the counter to pay before heading their separate ways.

“What time is it anyway?” Rich asked as he climbed into Jake’s car.

Jake checked his phone. “Eleven. We were there for a couple hours.”

Rich whistled. “Damn, it didn’t feel like that. God I’m not used to waking up that early when it isn’t necessary. I should take a nap to make up for it.”

The brunet snorted. “Just one more week and then you can sleep as late as you want every day.”

“Thank god.”

The drive back to their apartment was filled with aimless conversation, their playlist playing softly through the speakers.

True to his word, Rich collapsed onto the couch to take a nap as soon as they got home. Jake smiled at him and retreated into his room to do the same.

-

Jake woke with a groan as his six o’clock alarm went off. He stood up and sighed, getting ready to complete his stretches. As he did his routine, he made a mental note to make an appointment with his physical therapist to check up on his progress. He got dressed before going into the bathroom to do his hair and brush his teeth.

He headed over to his desk to collect his material for classes today. Monday, Wednesday, Fridays were his busiest days with five classes. At least he has some gen ed classes shared with his friends. Jake shoved everything into his neon backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed a quick breakfast before leaving to catch the seven o’clock bus to make it to his first class at eight AM.

His first class of the day was Theories of Crime. Since they had already taken their midterm, their professor decided to show a movie during the three class periods before fall break. After their professor announced the material wasn’t going to be tested on, Jake spent the whole period texting his friends and checking his social media.

His next class was Corrections which flew by quickly, especially since their professor let them out a few minutes early. Jake texted Christine, asking her if she wanted to meet for lunch before their shared class at noon, since she was the only one of their friends who had time to kill beforehand.

They met at the entrance of the dining hall. Christine told him about how her rehearsals were going for the fall musical that was opening the weekend after fall break. They were doing Les Misérables, and Christine was playing Éponine. Jake knew Jeremy also wanted to audition for the musical but his schedule that semester wouldn’t allow it.

After lunch they walked to their next class, The History and Appreciation of Musical Theatre, which they shared with Brooke, Chloe, and Jeremy. He zoned out once the class started, knowing he could get the notes from his friends.

His last two classes Constitutional Law and Biology II were a blur. Since the notes for those classes could be found online, he spent all of Constitutional Law on his phone and Biology II joking around in the back row with Michael and Jenna, whom he shared the class with.

Before catching the bus back to his apartment, Jake stopped by the café in the Student Union for a coffee. He returned to the bus stop as it pulled up to the stop. Jake took a seat, setting his backpack in his lap. He sighed and closed his eyes, exhausted from his day.

He thanked the bus driver as he hopped off, walking to his apartment. Jake tried the door, found it was unlocked, and pushed it open.

Rich was seated on the floor in front on the coffee table, a stranger sitting to his left. He looked over when Jake walked inside.

“Hey, dude,” he greeted with a smile.

“Hey,” Jake responded, throwing his coffee cup away in the kitchen, glancing at the guy sitting next to his best friend.

“Oh, right. Jake this is Jason. Jason, this is my roommate Jake,” he introduced.

“Hey,” Jason acknowledged him with a small wave.

Jake nodded in reply.

Rich groaned. “One of my social work professors thought it’d be _soo_ much fun to give us a partner presentation due Friday,” he explained bitterly, answering Jake’s unanswered question about why Jason was in their apartment.

“Oh, that sucks, bro,” Jake responded, narrowing his eyes when Jason moved closer to Rich to look at what he was writing, an unsettling feeling stirring in his chest.

He shook his head and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “Good luck, dude,” he said to Rich as he headed into his room.

Jake closed his door a little too harshly. He threw his backpack onto his bed and collapsed into his desk chair. He retrieved his laptop and set it up at his desk, immersing himself in his work.

Rich came into his room after his partner left. He sat on Jake’s bed and completed some work before the pair decided to work in the living room and order a pizza. Over dinner, they told each other about the events of their day before calling it a night and retreating to their rooms for bed.

-

Tuesday went by fast. Jake woke Rich ten minutes before the bus came, giving him enough time to throw on a muscle t-shirt and cargo pants. The blond yawned as he followed Jake out the door, messing with his hair to style it.

“My streak is fading,” he spoke up, twisting some of the faded red hair around his finger.

“You and Jenna need to get together and do touch ups,” Jake suggested as their boarded the bus.

“Brooke mentioned wanting me to touch up her roots so we might have a big hair dyeing party over break. You should do something too. Mix it up a bit,” Rich grinned, nudging Jake’s arm.

Jake turned to Rich and gave him an incredulous look. “Oh, absolutely not. There's no way I’d be able to pull off anything like you and Jenna can.”

Rich scoffed. “You don’t have to do anything drastic. You could do like,” he paused, examining Jake with scrutiny, “frosted tips or something.”

Jake laughed. “I’ll think about it.”

Rich pouted. “C’mon, bro. You trust me, right? It’ll look so dope.”

Jake glanced at Rich, who was giving him puppy dog eyes. He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Okay, fine. I'll let you do it.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” the blond cheered, grinning wide at his best friend.

The brunet chuckled at his shorter friend. “Jenna and Brooke will be thrilled and Chloe will never let me live it down.”

“I do Chloe's highlights so I should ask if she wants to come to the hair dyeing party,” he mused. “You know what, I'm just gonna send this into the group chat.”

Jake smiled fondly as Rich notified the group chat. The bus came to a stop at one of the campus stops and he followed him off, nearly crashing into him since he stopped to talk to one of the passengers still seated. Jake recognized him as Rich’s partner for his social work project, Jason. He urged his friend off the bus, since he was holding up the other students. Jason knowledged him with a nod as he passed by. Jake gave him a flat smile in return.

Before heading to the abnormal psychology class they shared, the pair stopped by at the coffee shop in the Student Union. Michael was working the register, his face lighting up when he saw them come in.

“‘Sup, hetero?” he greeted Jake as he approached the counter, laughing at his weak glare.

“I hope that’s how you greet all your customers,” the brunet snorted, pulling out his wallet.

Michael grinned. “Oh, absolutely.”

It was Jake’s turn to laugh. “And here I thought I was special. Anyway, I’ll get a large coffee.”

“Boring,” he remarked as he pulled a large cup from under the counter before turned to the dispenser beside him to fill up the cup.

He handed the steaming cup back to Jake. He handed Michael exact change, placing a dollar tip in the jar. Michael blew him a kiss in response.

Jake stepped out of the way, letting Rich approach the counter.

“What’ll it be, short stuff?” Michael asked, smiling down at his friend.

Rich pouted. “Iced hazelnut latte. Medium.”

Michael pulled out a cup and wrote down his order, handing it to another employee.

Rich handed him his student ID. After it was swiped, he tucked it back into his wallet. They waved goodbye to Michael after Rich grabbed his coffee.

The pair headed toward the Psychology building for their class. They walked into the classroom and took their regular seats in the back of the room. Jake pulled out his laptop after sitting down, powering it up. He opened his notes for this class, a Google document that he shared with Rich. It was his idea so they could make notes as to what they didn't understand or make changes to incorrect information. Rich mainly used it to try and make Jake laugh over his dumb jokes in the chat bar.

Jake tried not to doze off during class. They were discussing anxiety disorders and Rich was distracting him with dumb comments. He’d already threatened to remove him from the document twice but that didn't deter him since he knew Jake wasn't serious.

Their professor ended class early, since they’d finished going over all the material for that class period. Jake followed Rich out onto campus, throwing his coffee away on their way out of the building.

“Ugh, my professor is back from her conference so I actually have to go to class today,” Rich groaned as he stopped in front of the Health Sciences building.

Jake snorted. “Have fun, dude.”

The blond pouted as he waved goodbye, making his way into the building. Jake was done with classes so he decided to get lunch.

 

**[ squip squad ]**

**totally boss** : anyone on campus wanna get lunch w me

 **player 1** : you’re in luck i just finished my shift and i'm fucking HUNGRY

 **bi bi bi** : i'm in class >:(

 **totally boss** : i know i just watched you leave

 **player 1** : gay

 **bi bi bi** : perhaps

 **i'm shakespearean** : i’m free!!

 **totally boss** : !!!

 **player 1** : everyone who's getting luncy wunchy meet outside the coffee shop

 **totally boss** : i’m uninviting you for saying that

 **player 1** : :(

 **totally boss** : :)

 **player 1** : this is homophobia

 **i'm shakespearean** : i’m omw!

 **totally boss** : me too

 **player 1** : i’ll be waiting ;)

 

He smiled as he tucked his phone into his back pocket. He headed back toward the Student Union to meet Michael and Christine for lunch, who were both waiting outside the coffee shop when he arrived. Christine greeted with a hug that nearly knocked the wind out of him. He returned her hug as best he could because of the dramatic height difference between them.

“Do either of you have class soon?” Jake asked.

“My first class isn’t until two,” Michael told him. “I have _so_ much time to kill.”

Christine shook her head. “My next one is at one. Why?”

“I’ve been craving a sandwich from that one deli downtown.”

“That sounds so good, dude,” Michael agreed. “Lead the way.”

The deli was small but Jake was in love with their food. After ordering, they ended up talking for almost two hours, continuing their conversation as they walked Christine to her next class. Jake waved goodbye to Michael as he headed to the bus stop. He boarded the bus and pulled out his found to find a string of messages from Rich.

 

**[ from rich: ]**

**rich** : bro you’ll never guess what just happened

 **rich** : bro

 **rich** : do i have to do everything myself

 **rich** : jake :\

 **rich** : ugh fine!!! i’m going on a date tonight!!!

 **rich** : his name is dustin and he’s in my sophomore writing class but he asked me out at the dining hall since he was there and we ate together

 **rich** : he’s rly cute and funny and i can’t believe he asked me out i’m EXCITED

 **rich** : fine don’t answer me

 **rich** : i’ll just tell you again in person

 

Jake sighed as the bus came to a halt in front of his apartment complex. He opened the door and braced himself for what Rich was going to tell him.

“There you are!” his roommate shouted from the kitchen. He poked his head out and grinned widely at Jake. “I have so much to tell you!”

Jake forced a smile. “Sorry, I was at lunch with Michael and Christine. I read your texts on the way home.”

“I’m telling you everything anyway.”

Rich launched into an explanation about his date: Dustin Kropp. He explained how they met in his sophomore year writing class when they were paired up for a peer editing activity. Jake stated to tune out when Rich started gushing about him, unease twisting in his stomach. The fact that Rich really seemed to like him made him feel worse.

The conversation ended when Rich announced he was going to take a nap before his date. Jake nodded distractedly and retreated into his own room, starting on the homework assignments for his classes tomorrow, trying to push the unease out of his system.

-

Wednesday started off rough. Jake overslept, missing his eight AM and his nine AM. As he threw his blanket off him, he cursed outwardly, sending a hurried text to one of his friends who happened to be in the both classes, asking for notes for Corrections. Katie replied almost immediately, sending him first a string of disappointed emojis since she was alone in class before agreeing to email him the notes. He dressed quickly and rushed into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

He barely registered Rich making breakfast in the kitchen. Jake sprinted out the door, regretting he didn’t take time to complete his daily stretches. He managed to catch the eleven o’clock bus in time for his class at noon. He sent a quick text to Katie, apologizing for not being in class and thanking her for the notes.

Jake made it to campus a little after eleven-fifteen, giving him enough time to grab coffee in the Student Union. Michael was working and he noticed a familiar face conversing with him at the register. He approached him and slung his arm over his shoulder.

“Good morning, Jeremy, Michael!” he greeted. “Are you two lovebirds done talking? Other people want to order, you know,” Jake joked, snickering at Jeremy’s reddening face.

“You're just jealous because you’re single,” Michael teased.

Jake drawled, “Yeah, that’s totally it. Are you going to take my order or is Jeremy’s face too distracting?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “What’ll it be, Dillinger?”

“Large black coffee. Actually make that two. Chloe texted me last night about how her design project was stressing her out so I thought I’d bring her coffee,” he explained. “I’ll feel bad if I don’t get Brooke or Christine anything so a pineapple and mango smoothie for Brooke and–” he paused. “Hey, Jeremy, what’s Christine’s favorite tea again?”

Jeremy looked up at him, since Jake’s arm was still around his shoulder. “She likes chamomile with honey,” he replied, directing the response at Michael, who grabbed a cup to start on her tea.

Jake handed Michael his card to pay for the order, tucking it back into his wallet after he swiped it. He removed his arm from Jeremy as he grabbed the two cups of coffee from the counter.

“Since I’m not getting anything, I can pay you back for Christine and Brooke’s,” Jeremy offered quietly as they moved to let the other students order.

Jake shook his head. “Nah, man, you don’t have to. It was my idea.”

Jeremy pouted. Jake rolled his eyes fondly.

“If it’ll make you feel better, you can pay me back for the black coffees since they were the cheapest. It was like three dollars for both of them.”

The shorter brunet brightened and fished three dollars out of his wallet, handing them over to Jake, who accepted them and tucked them into his pocket. Since Jake’s hands were full, Jeremy grabbed the smoothie and cup of tea.

They made their way to class together, cautiously opening the door so they wouldn’t spill any of the drinks. They found the girls in the back of the room and headed in their direction.

“We come bearing gifts,” Jake announced, setting one of the coffee cups in front of Chloe.

She grabbed it and took a sip, she shoulders sagging as tension left her body. “God, Jacob, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Don’t call me Jacob,” he said sternly, before adding, “You’re welcome.”

Jeremy handed Brooke and Christine their drinks, smiling at their excited expressions. They thanked the boys and turned their attention back to Chloe, who’d been explaining her project to them.

“I was up until, like, three AM working on this stupid assignment. We barely have any time to work on it in class today and I still have so much to do on Michael’s piece. I’m probably going to have to pull an all-nighter tonight to finish it,” she told them with exasperation. “If I don’t get an A I’m going to be furious.”

“I’ve seen what you’ve been working on and you’re definitely going to get an A,” Brooke said encouragingly.

Chloe smiled at her girlfriend. Their professor walked in, calling the student’s attention, and they turned toward the front of the room.

At the end of class, Jake received an email from his Constitutional Law professor, cancelling class for the day. With nothing else to do until his last class, he met up with Jenna in the computer lab and watched her type up her journalism project before they headed to Biology II, which they shared with Michael.

They got out of Bio early. Jake waved goodbye to Jenna and Michael as he made his way to the bus stop. He sighed in relief when he saw the bus approach as he arrived. He boarded and took a seat, taking the ride to check his email, texts, and social media.

The bus came to a halt in front of his building and he hopped off, thanking the driver on his way out. Finding the door unlocked, he pushed it open.

“Hey, dude,” Rich greeted from the living room.

Jake nodded in response. He noticed Jason was over again, probably finishing their project that was due on Friday. He acknowledged him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“What was up with you this morning?” his roommate asked, pulling his laptop into his lap so Jason could see the screen better.

Jake set his backpack on the bar counter. “Overslept. I was in a hurry to get to my class at noon.”

Rich laughed at him, only stopping when Jake glared at him. “Sucks, bro,” he commented, turning his attention back to his project. “Did you manage to get notes from someone from your first two classes?”

Jake nodded, even though he was aware Rich wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. “Yeah. We’ve been watching a movie in Theories of Crime so missing that one wasn’t too bad. Katie’s in both classes so she emailed me the notes for Corrections.”

Rich’s face scrunched up. “Katie? Who’s that?”

“Oh, I forgot you don’t know her since you and Jeremy were in the dorms across campus,” Jake pointed out, fishing his wallet out of his bag. “She lived across from me and Michael freshman year. She was Jenna’s roommate. We bonded over being criminal justice majors and dogs. She’s, like, one of my only CJ friends that I hang out with outside of class. We also dated for, like, a week before she realized she’s a lesbian,” he reminisced, laughing at the memory.

Rich nodded, his expression unreadable. “Oh, cool,” he responded, his tone flat.

Jake raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the matter. “I’m picking up some dinner from the Sbarro downtown, do you want anything?”

“No,” Rich shook his head. “Dustin’s coming over tonight and he’s gonna cook for me,” he explained with a smile.

He frowned. “Okay, then. Jason? Do you want anything?” he asked, not wanting to sound rude.

He declined so Jake grabbed his keys and wallet, walking out of the apartment and to his car. He sent Chloe a quick text, asking if he could come over to her apartment after picking up his food under the guise of not wanting to bother Rich and his date. He knew it was a lie. He didn’t want to see Rich with Dustin.

Jake parked on the street in front of the restaurant, picking up food for him, along with something for Chloe and Brooke. He set everything in the passenger seat and made his way to the girls’ apartment.

He ended up staying over well past midnight, caught up in conversation and Chloe showing off her pieces for Friday’s show. He unlocked the door, closing it softly behind him. Jake put his leftovers in the fridge before walking toward his room.

He jumped when he saw a figure sitting on his bed. He sighed when he switched on the lights.

“Jesus Christ, Rich,” Jake groaned, catching his breath. “Don’t do that! Why’re you being creepy?”

Rich fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, something he tended to do when he was nervous. “Sorry, I was just kinda worried because you didn’t come back and you never answered my texts.”

Jake cursed. “Fuck, sorry, I was at Brooke and Chloe’s and my phone died.”

“Why didn’t you come back?”

He froze, not meeting Rich’s eyes. “Well, I– I didn’t want to disturb you’re date. I figured it would kinda kill the mood with me here,” he lied.

His roommate nodded. “Okay. Sorry for being creepy, bro. I’m going to bed, see you in the morning.”

“G’night, bro,” he replied, watching Rich head to his own room, his heart pounding.

Jake yawned. He stripped off his shirt and changed into his grey sweatpants, crawling into bed. After setting his alarm, he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.

-

Thursday was almost a repeat of Tuesday. Jake woke Rich up a few minutes before they were going to leave for the bus, allowing him enough time to get dressed, before they walked to the bus stop together.

Their shared class felt like it lasted hours. Jake barely paid attention, sending messages to Rich through Google Docs the entire time.

 

**[ abpsych notez ]**

**dillingerji** : bro what are we even LEARNING rn

 **goranskirt** : dude i forgot what class i’m in i’m kinda high rn

 **dillingerji** : BRO LMAOOOO

 **goranskirt** : ;)

 **goranskirt** : what is our prof talking abt

 **goranskirt** : anxiety?? bitch me too

 **dillingerji** : hashtag mood

 **dillingerji** : when did u even have time to get high i woke u up like five minutes before we left to catch the bus

 **goranskirt** : fjghgjdfk i took part of an edible

 **dillingerji** : dude lmfao

 

Jake looked over at Rich, who was staring at his laptop screen, eyes unfocused. He snorted, effectively getting his roommate’s attention. He stuck his tongue out at Jake, causing him to laugh louder.

“Mr. Dillinger, Mr. Goranski?” their professor stopped her lecture to address them. “Is there something about anxiety you find amusing?”

Jake shook his head. “No, ma’am.” Rich stifled his giggles.

Their professor raised her eyebrow at the pair before wrapping up her lecture. As soon as they exited the classroom, Rich burst into laughter. Jake watched him fondly as they walked onto campus.

Rich grabbed his hand. “I wanna skip,” he grinned up at Jake, pulling him with him as he headed toward downtown. “Let’s do something.”

“Okay,” Jake agreed. “What do you wanna do?”

“Well, I’m fucking starving so let’s eat. Where do you wanna go?” Jake opened his mouth to respond but Rich cut him off. “Don’t say Sbarro, you _just_ ate there.”

Jake pouted and Rich smiled at him, intertwining their fingers. He dragged him toward a Thai restaurant that was tucked behind a couple of buildings.

They stopped on the sidewalk when Jake accidently bumped his shoulder into someone walking in the other direction.

“Shit, sorry,” he apologized, looking at the stranger. “Katie?”

Her expression went from pissed, to confused, to excited. “Jake!” she exclaimed, moving to hug him.

He released Rich’s hand to return her hug. “Sorry about yesterday.”

Katie rolled her eyes, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Relax, it’s all good. So what’re you up to?”

“My roommate and I are getting lunch at that one Thai place,” Jake answered. “Speaking of, Katie, this is Rich, my roommate and best friend. Rich, this is Katie, my criminal justice friend.”

“Hey,” Rich greeted, his voice tight.

Katie smiled at him. “Hi! I’ve heard a lot about you,” she smirked.

The shorter student blushed, reaching out to take Jake’s hand again. Katie glanced down at the gesture before turning her attention back to Jake.

“Well,” she started, “I don’t want to interrupt your date anymore than I already have! See you tomorrow, Jake!”

Jake stared at her, face red at her accusation. “My what?” he repeated even though she’d already disappeared around the corner.

Rich chuckled. “Our date, duh.” He pulled Jake by his hand into the restaurant. “C’mon, handsome, I’m fucking starving. You’re paying.”

They ended up staying at the restaurant for a little over two hours. It felt good to sit and talk. Jake smiled as Rich ranted about his social work project that he and Jason finished yesterday. He was complaining about having to present it in front of the class. Jake nodded in sympathy.

“If I didn’t have class the same time I’d sneak in to your class to support you,” the brunet told him, taking a sip of his water. “I’m your number one fan, bro.”

Rich brightened at his comment, making Jake smile fondly.

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you,” Rich began after they paid their bill. “I have another date with Dustin tonight.”

Jake’s smile fell, but he forced it back for Rich’s sake. “That’s awesome, dude.”

The blond nodded excitedly. “He’s actually going to meet me in a half hour at that one coffee shop across the street, so I won’t be going back to the apartment with you.”

He frowned. “I hope you have fun.” Jake stood from the table. “I’m gonna head back to the bus then. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Rich waved as Jake retreated back to campus to catch the bus back to their apartment. He boarded and took a seat, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Before he knew it, the bus was stopped in front of his apartment. He thanked the bus driver and climbed off, unlocking the door once he reached his apartment.

He dropped his backpack by his desk and pulled out his laptop. Jake immersed himself into his work for tomorrow, barely registering the front door open. He looked over through his open door to see Rich drag a guy quickly into his room, shutting the door behind them. Jake’s stomach turned, and he got up to close his own door. He threw himself back into his assignment, distracting himself from thinking about what his best friend was doing.

He finished his work, overcome with exhaustion. He checked his messages before climbing in bed, replying to the group chat and a couple messages from Chloe. Jake set his alarm for six AM and turned off the light, the unease in his stomach only disappearing once he fell asleep.

-

Friday was hell. His Theories of Crime professor assigned them a five page research paper that was due after break, then his Corrections professor assigned them a group project, and then to top it all off he had a pop quiz in his Constitutional Law class that he failed miserably. To say he was having a bad day would be an understatement. At least fall break was starting.

He hopped off the bus, wincing at the pain that shot through his legs. He really needed to stop forgetting to do his stretches. Jake limped to his apartment, stepping back in shock when it opened. He found himself face to face with a guy, a little shorter than him, with dark hair styled into an undercut and bright green eyes. He was smiling at Jake as he stepped out of his apartment, something he did not feel comfortable with.

“You’re Jake, right? Rich’s roommate? I’m Dustin.”

Jake just stared at him. Rich popped out from behind him, looking at the other man with a soft gaze and a big smile. He intertwined their fingers, causing Dustin to smile back at the blond.

The sight made Jake snap. “I don’t remember asking,” he growled, and Dustin took a step back into the apartment. “Now are you going to just stand there or are you going to get the fuck out of my way?”

Without waiting for an answer, Jake shoved past Dustin. He didn’t dare meet Rich’s eyes as he passed him, but out of the corner of his eye he saw him turn to Dustin, muttering apologies as he escorted him to his car, shutting the door behind them.

Jake had at least five minutes before Rich came back to collect his thoughts. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging angrily as he sat on the edge of the couch, anxiously awaiting the return of his best friend.

He jumped when the apartment door slammed open, flinching when the door handle hit the wall with a loud _bang!_ He made a mental note to check that later to make sure there wasn’t any damage done to the wall. Jake risked looking at Rich. He’d seen him angry before, but he’d never seen him like this. He was seething, fists clenched tightly and eyes narrowed with rage.

“What the fuck, dude? What the _fuck_ was that?” Rich barked. “Why were you being such a complete asshole?”

Jake didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up and began to make his way to his room.

“Oh you are _not_ walking away from this,” Rich hissed as he ran to block Jake’s path.

He looked down at his best friend. Despite his height, Rich was extremely intimidating when he wanted to be. Guilt seized in Jake’s stomach. Rich crossed his arms and stared at Jake, waiting for him to explain his behavior.

Rich huffed when Jake didn’t answer. “Do you have a problem with it? Does me sleeping with guys bother you or something? Because this is my apartment too and–”

Jake cut him off. “I'm just in a bad mood.”

That seemed to piss Rich off even more. “That’s not a fucking explanation! When you and Chloe were fucking every night last year before she got with Brooke, I didn’t act like a complete bastard because I had to deal with seeing you guys be disgustingly affectionate when you weren’t even really dating! So you can suck it up and deal with this!”

Jake took a step back, momentarily shocked at his best friend’s accusations. He didn’t know what his friends with benefits deal he had with Chloe freshman year had to do with the matter at hand.

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” Jake demanded, struggling to make the connection.

Rich rolled his eyes. “You’ve been acting weird all week every time I’ve mentioned spending time with Dustin and I have _no_ idea what you’re problem is! Every time I’ve had him over you’ve made an excuse to go out or hide away in your room,” he spat. “You’ve never even bothered to ask me about him or about how our relationship is going, something I _always_ did for you when you dated Chloe back in high school and again when you two started randomly fucking last year! Do you have any idea how much I hated that? It was a stupid decision in the first place and I don’t know what either of you thought you would get out of it since your actual relationship didn’t work out at all. Not to mention the fact that it really hurt Brooke and neither of you seemed to care!”

Jake blinked. “Okay, first of all, why do you care so much? And second of all, it’s not like we knew what we were doing! Chloe was stressed and confused and since I’m the person she’s closest to after Brooke, she came to me and it happened as stress relief. She still thought she was straight and I helped her sort through her feelings and when she realized she liked Brooke, we stopped. End of story.” He sighed and sat back down on the couch, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms.

“Whatever,” Rich grumbled. “I just don’t understand why you’ve been acting like this. You’ve never acted like this before,” his voice softened slightly.

“I know, I _know_.  _I_ don’t even know why I’ve been acting like this. All the stress I’m under, probably. But I’m sorry I’ve been a total asshole. Especially today. I had a really bad day and I guess I took it out on your boyfriend,” Jake sighed, hating how the word ‘boyfriend’ made him nauseous. “I don’t care who you sleep with. Guys, girls, whatever. I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. Really.”

Rich frowned, his demeanor shifting quickly. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he clarified, voice wavering slightly. “I’m going to Michael and Jeremy’s.”

“Do you want me to drive you?” Jake asked, momentarily forgetting the fight they just had.

Rich shook his head. “I texted Michael when I walked Dustin to his car. He’s been waiting in the parking lot.”

It hurt Jake to know Rich was already planning on leaving. “Oh, got it.”

He watched and Rich walked into his room to gather some of his things. He re-emerged with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He stopped in front of the door, turning to look at Jake.

“Would it make you more comfortable if I stopped bringing Dustin here?” he asked quietly. “Like if I slept with him only at his apartment?”

“Rich, it’s fine. I said I don’t care what you do,” Jake told him, trying to convince himself at the same time.

Jake watched him leave, the thought of what Rich suggested making him sick to his stomach.

Against his better judgement, Jake bailed on Chloe’s presentation show. Guilt gnawed at him but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the apartment. He sat on the couch in the dark, trying not to think about the major argument he and Rich had earlier that afternoon.

Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani jerked him out of his thoughts. Chloe’s ringtone. He let her set it herself, and the corner of his lips twitched as he remembered her choosing this song on their second date in high school.

He answered, bracing himself for her wrath.

“Jacob Ian Dillinger,” she growled, “where the fuck were you! I worked my ass off for this show and you don’t even fucking come? You’re my best friend! Your support means more to me than anything and you _bail_ on me? You better have a really good explanation for this!” her voice sounded strained, like she was trying not to cry.

Jake felt like shit. He hated when Chloe cried and he hated himself for _making_ her cry. “I know, I’m the worst. I just went through a lot today and I’d probably chalk it up to being one of the worst days in my life. Chlo, I’m so fucking sorry. I know how much this meant to you and I’m sorry for sulking instead of sucking it up.”

Chloe sighed shakily. “It’s– it’s fine, Jake. I love you and I’m sorry about whatever you’re going through. We’re still on for brunch tomorrow, right? Rich, too? You can talk then.”

“Yeah,” he answered. “Yeah definitely.”

She hung up and Jake’s mood spiraled even more. He hated upsetting Chloe. He sighed, dragging his hands down his face. He got up and trudged to his room, collapsing on his bed.

-

Jake woke the next morning in the same clothes he wore yesterday. He groaned, pulling himself up so he could get ready for brunch. A few weeks ago, Chloe made reservations at this fancy brunch place that opened up downtown for her, Brooke, Rich and Jake as a sort of commemoration of their friendship.

He stripped off his clothes, throwing them into his hamper, before heading into his bathroom to take a shower. After drying off and putting on new clothes, Jake started on his stretches while he allowed himself to recall the events of last night.

He’d never seen Rich that angry before and, if he was being honest, he deserved it. He acted like a huge asshole for reasons he couldn’t figure out. Jake stood up straight and sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

He knew Rich didn’t come back to the apartment the night before. He stayed up late, almost past two in the morning, waiting for him to return. Jake worried about how Rich would get the the restaurant, momentarily forgetting that Michael could drive him. Ignoring the fight, he grabbed his phone from the table and sent a text to Rich.

 

**[ to: rich ]**

**jake** : are you still @ michael and jeremy’s? do you want me to pick you up for brunch?

 

He waited anxiously for a few minutes. It was almost eleven and Chloe had made reservations for eleven-thirty, something she constantly reminded them of.

Ten minutes had passed and still no answer from Rich. Jake sighed and collected his wallet and keys before heading out toward his car, locking the door behind him. Without Rich, the drive to the restaurant was quiet, excluding his music playing softly over his speakers. He put his car in park before turning off the ignition.

Jake walked inside and up to the hostess, a woman with long red hair and pretty green eyes.

“I’m meeting a party here for an eleven-thirty reservation. It should be under ‘Valentine’, but I’m not sure if they’re here already,” he told the woman behind the stand.

She nodded with a smile. “Two girls? One blonde, one brunette?” she asked. Upon seeing Jake’s nod she continued, “They arrived a few minutes ago. Follow me.”

She led him toward the back of the restaurant to a secluded corner. Chloe and Brooke were seated next to each other, deep in conversation. Chloe, as always, looked stunning, dressed in a black sundress with matching black pumps. Brooke wore a yellow crop top paired with distressed light blue denim jeans and white converse. Their conversation stopped when they noticed him, both girls standing up to hug him. The hostess handed him the menu she was holding after he sat down in front of Chloe. Jake thanked her.

“I just want you to know, I’m not mad that you ditched my presentation,” Chloe began. “I’m just mad that you didn’t tell me beforehand and made me look like an idiot. I was already worried since Rich didn’t show up and I–”

“Wait a sec,” he cut her off, “Rich didn’t come?”

Chloe raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Yeah. Did something happen between you two?” she asked.

Jake looked down at the menu in front of him. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t press the question. Their waiter approached their table to take his drink order.

“Why didn’t he come with you?” Brooke inquired. “To brunch, I mean.”

“He went out last night,” Jake explained, not mentioning the fight. “I guess he stayed over at someone’s place instead of coming home. I texted him if he wanted a ride but he didn’t answer me.”

Brooke nodded before pulling out her phone. Their waiter return with a fresh cup of coffee for Jake, topping off Chloe’s before leaving. The blonde frowned at her phone and nudged Chloe, showing her girlfriend.

Chloe bit her lip and flashed Jake an apologetic glance. “I don’t think he’s coming.”

“What? Why do you say that?” Jake asked defensively.

“Because Brooke texted him,” she told him, “and he said he wasn’t coming because he didn’t feel good.”

Jake clenched his fists as he tried to get his emotions under control. He knew Rich was lying. Rich wasn’t coming because he was “sick”. Rich wasn’t coming because he didn’t want to see him. Jake let his emotions get the better of him yesterday and as a result, he’d ruined their friendship. Rich didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

He barely registered their waiter retuning to take their order and Chloe turning him away, asking for a few more minutes to decide. His thoughts went into overtime, berating himself for how much he fucked up. It was his fault. He ruined everything. Rich hated him.

Jake’s breathing began to quicken. He ran his fingers through his hair, eyes trained on the floor.

His apartment was empty. Rich wasn’t coming back. He left him, just like his parents did years earlier. Rich didn’t love him anymore. No one did.

He didn’t know he was crying until Chloe slid into the seat beside him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Jake, honey, shh,” she whispered, wiping the tears from his cheeks. She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. “Deep breaths,” Chloe advised.

He listened, sucking in deeps breaths of air, trying to calm himself down. Chloe’s presence helped and he pulled back, slumping against the chair, drying his eyes.

“Sorry,” he muttered, embarrassed. Having a panic attack in a public place wasn’t really how he wanted to start his day.

Chloe shook her head. “Don’t apologize. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not now.”

She nodded understandingly. She pushed the chair back and stood up, leaning over to place a kiss on his forehead before returning to her seat across from him. Brooke gave him a warm smile, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand reassuringly.

Soon after, their waiter returned to take their orders. He took their menus and refilled their drinks before heading to the kitchen. Jake excused himself and found his way to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror.

“God, I look like shit,” he announced to himself.

His eyes were red from crying and there were dark bags under his eyes from waiting up for Rich the previous night. He splashed cold water on his face to try and tone down the blotchiness of his face. With a sigh, he made his way back to the table.

His food was waiting when he arrived. Brooke and Chloe didn’t bring up the subject again, instead talking about their plans for fall break. He tried to remain optimistic throughout the remainder of brunch, accepting the invite from the girls to come over to their apartment anytime over break.

After paying, they made their way out of the restaurant together. Jake waved goodbye to the girls before climbing into his car. He turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot, stopping at the grocery store on his way home.

Jake parked in front of his complex and headed up the stairs, keys in his hand to unlock the door. He held onto the hope that the door would be unlocked and Rich would be inside, but that died when he tried the doorknob and found it still locked. Jake sighed and balanced the groceries in one arm in order to unlock the door. He pushed it open and moved into the kitchen to put everything away. As he left the kitchen, he set his keys on the counter.

Jake fell onto his stomach on the couch, grabbing the remote to switch on the TV to distract himself from the emptiness of the apartment. It was still turned to the Hallmark Channel from the last time he and Rich watched. _Golden Girls_ was playing again and Jake’s chest ached.

He eventually dozed off on the couch, the _Golden Girls_ opening lulling him to sleep.

-

Jake woke the next morning a lot like the day before: in his clothes. He turned the TV off and retreated to his room to shower.

While he showered, he started thinking about his current situation with Rich. He hadn’t started feeling the way he was until Rich started having sex with other guys. He avoided using the term “homophobia” because he knew that it was absolutely ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that’s what the problem was.

“I need a second opinion,” Jake muttered to himself, stepping out of the shower.

He dressed and returned to the living room, grabbing his phone from the couch.

 

**[ to: michael, jeremy ]**

**jake** : hey dudes can i come over?? i need a second opinion on smthn

 

While he waited for a response, he made himself breakfast. He cracked open two eggs into a hot pan, scrambling them. Jake dished them out onto a plate, along with some buttered toast. As he sat down, his phone buzzed.

 

**[ from: michael, jeremy ]**

**michael** : yeah dude come over in fifteen

 **michael** : i give good advice :)

 **jeremy** : he doesn’t but we’ll try and help

 **michael** : wow,,, betrayed by my own boyfriend

 **jeremy** : :)

 

Jake laughed and sent a quick affirmation. By the time he finished eating, it was time for him to head out. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his keys and wallet, locking the apartment behind him as he headed to Michael and Jeremy’s apartment.

Since he didn’t visit their place as often as Brooke and Chloe’s apartment or Christine’s dorm, it took Jake a few extra minutes to remember where their apartment was, and remember what their apartment number was. After a few minutes of driving around, he found the visitor’s lot and parked his car. He climbed out and made his way toward apartment 29.

He knocked twice before Jeremy swung the door open.

“Hey, dude,” he greeted, stepping aside so Jake could enter the apartment. “Michael’ll be back in a few minutes. He’s picking up some snacks.”

Jake nodded, toeing off his shoes. “Sounds good. Uh,” he began, looking around the place, “is Rich still here by any chance?”

Jeremy winced. “That guys he’s been seeing picked him up last night,” he told him apologetically. “He was pretty upset.”

“I know,” Jake sighed, his mood dropping. “That was my fault. And he’s kinda what I came here to talk about. I’ll explain when Michael gets back.”

Jeremy smiled sympathetically and led him into the living room. Jake collapsed into the armchair with a groan. The door opened and Michael walked inside, carrying three boxes of pizza. He grinned when he was Jake sitting in his living room.

“Hey,” he welcomed. “I figured this was going to be a long talk so I brought some reinforcements.”

He placed the boxes on the coffee table. Michael retreated into the kitchen and grabbed a two bottles of Mountain Dew and a can of Coke for Jake. He accepted it graciously and cracked it open, taking a sip. Michael handed one of the bottles to his boyfriend before settling on the floor in front of the pizza. He opened one of the boxes, pulling out a slice of pizza with at least three different meats.

“Okay, Dillinger,” Michael said through a mouthful of pizza, “what’d you wanna talk about?”

Jake opened the other box and took a slice of Hawaiian pizza. Jeremy’s face scrunched up in disgusting, making Jake chuckle.

“Did Rich tell you why he came over?” he asked, figuring out exactly what he was going to tell him.

“Kinda,” Jeremy answered, opening the third box and taking out a slice of cheese pizza. “He just mentioned that you two fought and that it was pretty bad.”

Jake sank into the couch. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened, but that’s not what I came here to talk about. Well, it’s kind of related.”

Michael and Jeremy watched him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. He sorted through his thoughts, trying to find a way to explain the current situation without sounding ridiculous.

“So Rich decided that he wanted to branch out and date guys because he wasn’t really able to in high school and at first I was like ‘hell yeah’,” Jake explained, finishing the rest of his slice, “but now every time I see him or know he’s with a guy I feel like shit. And it’s definitely started to affect our friendship, leading up to the fight we had yesterday. I don’t want to throw around the word homophobia because I know how ridiculous that sounds, but the more I think about it the more I’m convinced that’s what the problem is. I need to figure out how to deal with this and stop being a dick before I lose Rich as a friend.”

He grabbed another slice, anxiously awaiting their reply. Michael started nodding and Jeremy looked at him with an unreadable expression.

“Is it possible that the feeling is jealousy, not homophobia?” Jeremy suggested, taking a bite of his pizza. “It seems to center around Rich specifically.”

Jake tilted his head to the side, chewing thoughtfully. “Maybe? I don’t know exactly what there is to be jealous about? The fact that he’s having more sex than me? That’s just stupid and irrational,” he commented.

“More so than you thinking you’re homophobic?” Michael teased, taking a swig from his drink as he grabbed another slice. He laughed when Jake glared at him. Jeremy pushed him to the ground with his foot.

“Maybe you don’t like seeing Rich with other people because you want his attention to yourself? Like you don’t like that his attention isn’t centered around you anymore like it was throughout high school,” Jeremy offered, ignoring Michael’s protests from the floor.

“I guess,” Jake shrugged.

He considered what Jeremy said. It made sense, more sense than him being homophobic, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. He nodded anyway, thankful for their help. He finished his slice of pizza, sighing as he sunk into the couch.

Michael shuffled over to him and patted him on the leg sympathetically. “Sorry we weren’t much help.”

Jake smiled at him. “It’s all good, man. Thanks for trying.”

He ended up staying for a couple hours, listening to Jeremy and Michael talk about school and their lives. He learned about Michael’s final programming project, where he was going to create a game, and Jeremy’s new part time job at the local animal clinic.

A little after three in the afternoon, Jake headed home. He picked up dinner on his way, getting a bit extra just in case Rich happened to be home. He grabbed the bag out of his car as he made his way to his apartment. To Jake’s surprise, the door was unlocked. He walked inside, noticing Rich’s door cracked slightly. He resisted the urge to knock, knowing Rich would probably still be mad at him. He grabbed his food, placing the rest in the fridge, and retreated into his room for the night.

-

Jake woke up the next morning in an even worse mood than he thought possible. He was up until the early hours trying to think of a way to fix whatever was happening to him before he finally passed out from exhaustion. He glared at his phone when it started ringing but reached for it in hopes it was Rich. His hope dimmed when he saw it was Chloe but he answered as cheerfully as he could.

“Hey, Chlo!” he greeted, putting on a fake smile to hopefully make him sound less depressed.

“I know you’re upset so I’m inviting you to girl’s brunch,” Chloe snapped. “And you can't say no because I’ll just come to your apartment and drag you there myself.”

Jake sighed. “Yeah,” he agreed, “yeah, fine. Can you still get me though? If I try to drive I’ll probably crash with how much is on my mind.”

The brunette hummed through the phone. “Of course, Jake. Get dressed. Brooke and I will be there in ten,” she instructed before hanging up.

He pulled himself out of bed and got ready, pulling on his red jacket with a frown. Not even bothering with his stretches, he retrieved his cane from his closet before heading into the living room. He spared a glance at Rich’s door, unaware of where he was, before taking a seat on the couch to wait for Chloe.

Two shrill beeps, unmistakably from Brooke’s Buggy, alerted him of their arrival. Jake left his apartment, locking it behind him. He climbed into the seat behind Brooke, since she was shorter, drawing his knees up to his chest to get comfortable.

“I’m not made for these kinds of cars,” he joked weakly.

He caught Brooke’s smile in the rear view mirror. Chloe snorted and reached over to take his hand. The small gesture was extremely reassuring, causing the weight in his chest to lift a little.

The ride to Melody’s was silent other than Brooke’s music that played softly through the speakers. Jake recognized the song quickly as “Boy Problems” by Carly Rae Jepsen. It cut off when Brooke shut off the car, removing her keys from the ignition.

“Jenna is already here,” Chloe said to Brooke. “I already told her Jake was coming. Christine has rehearsal so she couldn’t come.”

Jake felt the weight fall heavy back on his chest. Christine always gave him such good advice. Not that the other girls didn’t, it was just Christine helped Jake a lot during the aftermath of his parents leaving while they were in high school so he wished she was here to help him sort out these new problems.

He followed the couple inside to what he assumed was their usual brunch table. Jenna was already seated, sipping on a cup of coffee, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun, the purple streaks fading. She stood to hug them in greeting before sitting back down. Chloe took the seat next to her. Brooke sat diagonal from her girlfriend, which Jake found a little odd. He sat down next to Brooke, catching Jenna’s curious gaze.

“So why’s Dillinger at brunch?” she asked after they ordered, no malice in her tone, just genuine curiosity.

Chloe sipped her freshly poured coffee. “He’s upset. I don’t know about what, but I know it has to do with Rich. He was really fucked up when Rich skipped out on our lunch date Saturday,” she explained, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip.

“Rich has never bailed on Jake so it really hurt him,” Brooke added, squeezing Jake’s hand with her own.

Jake sighed. “I don’t know what’s happening. Everything was perfectly fine until– until–”

Chloe raised an eyebrow as a prompt to continue. Jenna and Brooke looked on in curiosity.

“This is going to sound so shitty, trust me I know and I hate myself for it,” Jake began, downing his coffee in one gulp before continuing. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I can’t fucking stand the thought of Rich dating guys. I hate it when he brought guys back to the apartment. I hate knowing that he was out with guys and the thought of what they were doing made me sick to my stomach.” He stopped for a second before adding. “Does that make me homophobic?”

The three girls stared at him. Jake felt his face grow hot at their scrutiny. Then Chloe burst out laughing.

“Jake Dillinger you are such an oblivious idiot!”

He shrunk back. “What?” he huffed. “I know it sounds ridiculous but Michael and Jeremy didn’t act like this when I asked them for their opinion.”

Chloe, trying to stop her laughter, asked with a smile, “Oh? What did they say?”

“Jeremy suggested I was jealous? But of _what?_ I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous of anything before,” Jake shrugged.

That caused another burst of giggles. Even Jenna and Brooke were smiling now.

“I knew you weren’t good at recognizing emotions or social cues but I didn’t think you were this bad!” she laughed.

Jake was starting to get angry. “What’s so fucking funny about this?”

“You’re not homophobic, dumbass! That’s honestly one of the funniest things I’ve heard in awhile,” Chloe snorted. “Jake you have a crush on Rich! You _like_ him, you idiot! The reason you hate seeing him with other guys or picturing him sleeping with other guys? _That’s_ jealousy. You’re jealous that he’s sleeping with and dating other guys that aren’t you!”

He shook his head. “That’s not it. That can’t be it. I don’t have a problem when he sleeps with girls. I didn’t give a shit in high school!”

“Be honest, how much of high school do you actually remember?” Jenna pointed out.

“And he hasn’t recently been sleeping with girls, so how can you accurately judge that?” Brooke added, eyebrow raised pointedly.

Jake was at a loss for words. “I mean– but I– I don’t– I _can’t–_ ” he stopped his stammering to think. “I mean, I get annoyed when he flirts with waitresses when we go out and when he checks out girls when I’m trying to talk to him and–”

He stopped. His heart was beating fast and his face was heating up. He thought of Rich: his freckled skin, his fluffy blond hair with that dumb faded red streak, his blue eyes that he always thought were so pretty, the contrast between his burns and his skin and how he loved it and thought he looked beautiful and–

“Oh, shit. Oh, _fuck_ ,” he whispered to himself, but knew he said it loud enough for the girls to hear. His head snapped up and his panicked eyes locked with Chloe’s. “I’m in love with Rich.”

It was at that moment their waiter placed their food in front of them but Jake was too freaked out to eat.

“Well, we lost our token straight,” Chloe broke the silence.

Jake knew she was trying to lighten the mood to make him feel better. He took a deep breath.

“So,” he cleared his throat, “so does this mean I’m bisexual? I mean, I’ve checked out guys before but I didn’t think it was because I’m attracted to them.” He paused. “Holy shit, I’m an idiot. I can’t believe it took the help of the three of you to figure out I like dudes.”

“And that you’re in love with your best friend,” Jenna added.

“You could also be pansexual,” Brooke supplied.

He knew that’s what she identified as. “Is there a difference?”

“There’s a lot of overlap between the two. You can always do some research when you get home to see which one you identify more with,” Jenna explained. “You also don’t need to be so worried about putting a label to yourself. You just learned that you’re not straight after twenty years of thinking you are. I know you’re comfortable with the LGBT+ community but I want you to be comfortable with yourself before you feel you need to label yourself or tell anyone. But if you find that you identify as bi or pan or whatever, then hell yeah, embrace it! But you don’t need to feel pressured to come out to everyone just yet. You need to make sure you’re comfortable first.”

Jake gave her a gracious smile. “Thank you, Jenna.”

“So why did Rich ditch us at lunch Saturday? Did you guys fight?” Chloe asked after a beat of silence.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jenna told her. “Rich and Jake never fight.”

“Well there’s a first time for everything,” Jake admitted.

Jenna gaped at him. Chloe’s eyes snapped up to meet his. Brooke gave him a sympathetic look. Suddenly he realized why they chose this seating arrangement. He was cornered.

He sighed. “I came home as one of the guys Rich was seeing left and I...was not nice. The guy was nice to me and I was a complete asshole to him.”

Brooke’s eyes were wide. “What did you say to him?”

“Well, I basically told him to get the fuck out of my apartment,” Jake winced. “To say Rich was pissed would be an understatement. It’s why he bailed on brunch. He didn’t want to see me.”

The brunette across from him grinned. “What happened?”

“I don’t like that look,” Jake said before continuing. “I tried just going to my room but Rich wouldn’t let me. He can be really intimidating despite his height. He asked if I had a problem with him sleeping with guys. When I said I didn’t, he got even more pissed. Then he brought up the FWB situation I had with Chloe last year. Like, out of the blue. It kinda pissed me off but I guess he connected it to him having to endure us being affectionate? So he was like ‘if I had to put up with that, you have to put up with this.’ And I was like ‘dude, I don’t care who you sleep with. I’m sorry for being an asshole I was just having a bad day.’” Jake ran his fingers through his hair. “And the he got upset, I don’t know why. After that he said he was gonna go over to Michael and Jeremy’s place. Before he left he asked if it was okay to sleep with guys if they were at our apartment and at that point I was just so tired of hearing him talk about having sex that I said I didn’t care. Then he was gone and I haven’t seen him since.”

“Well,” Jenna started, resting her chin on her hands, “it sounds like he was trying to make you jealous.”

“What?”

Chloe nodded. “He was trying to make you jealous. Deliberately.”

Jake surprised himself with a laugh. “Okay, absolutely not. I just found out that I’m not straight and have a huge crush on my best friend I don’t need to hear that he was trying to make me jealous.”

Jenna smiled sympathetically. “The more you said you didn’t care about who he sleeps with, the more upset he got. He wanted you to say you cared because he hoped _you_ wanted to sleep with him,” she emphasized by pointing at him. “Plus, he brought up your old friends with benefits fiasco with Chlo. When you’re comfortable, tell him.”

Jake held up his hands to stop her. “Can– can we talk about something else? This is too much to handle right now and if we keep talking about it, I might have a breakdown.”

“Of course, Jakey,” Brooke nodded.

The conversion look a less serious and more gossipy turn, but the weight of what he learned earlier still loomed over him.

-

Jake returned to his apartment a couple hours after chatting with the girls. He was stressed beyond belief after Chloe dropped the bombshell that he might not be as straight as he thought. He closed the door behind him with a sigh.

“Uh, hey.”

He looked up. Rich was standing in the doorway of his room, a small smile on his face.

“Hey,” Jake returned, resisting the urge to tackle Rich in a bear hug since he came back. His nerves built up.

Rich came out into the living room. Jake joined him. The blond let out a breath before looking up at his best friend.

“I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting. Blowing you and the girls off for lunch was really childish and I’m sorry for acting that way after we fought,” he apologized.

Jake shook his head, not bringing up the panic attack he had when Rich didn’t show up. “Rich if anyone should apologize, it’s me. I acted like a huge dick for no reason and I’m really sorry. It’s none of my business and I support you no matter what.”

Rich grinned at him. He opened his arms. “C’mere, Jakey.”

He stepped forward and Rich pulled him into a tight hug. Jake wrapped his arms around his best friend, a big smile on his face, trying not to cry.

“So where were you?” Rich asked as they separated, sitting on the couch.

“Chloe invited me to girl’s brunch.”

“Lucky,” Rich pouted. “I’ve always wanted to go to girl’s brunch. What’d they talk about?”

Jake laughed nervously, not about to disclose the actual topic of conversation that dominated brunch. “Nothing interesting. Just a bunch of gossip about the other girls on the cheer squad and shit like that.”

Rich nodded. “I have another date with Dustin today so I’ll be back later,” he said casually, casting a glance at Jake. “He’s picking me up in a couple hours.”

Jake’s stomach twisted. He forced a smile. “Have fun, bro. Seriously. And tell him I’m sorry for how I acted. I’m not actually a huge douche,” he requested as he walked into his room.

Rich laughed. “Will do.”

“Oh, I never got to ask,” Jake prompted, “but how did you presentation go?”

Rich stopped in his doorway and blinked, obviously thrown off by the question. “Oh! It actually went really well. We got a hundred.”

“That’s awesome, bro,” he remarked. He closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk, opening his laptop.

After what felt like hours of research on different sexualities, he closed his laptop, overwhelmed by all the new information. Sure, he knew the basics due to being a part of their college’s LGBT+ club but this was a whole different level.

He went over the tentative definitions he read.

 

_Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females, or romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity._

_Pansexuality is the sexual, romantic or emotional attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity._

 

He definitely understood what Jenna meant when she said there was a lot of overlap between the two sexualities.

He felt drawn to the pansexual label. He had no idea what kind of people he’d been attracted to in the past, but he felt that the label encompassed more and and he always considered himself someone who could get along with everyone. He felt something inside him click upon furthering his research on the subject. Plus, he thought their flag was prettier.

Jake took a deep breath, standing up. “I’m pansexual,” he announced quietly, his voice shaking. “I’m pansexual,” he repeated over and over again, his voice stronger each time. “I’m pansexual,” he said one last time, a huge smile on his face.

He grabbed his phone and texted Christine to see if she was at her dorm and if he could come over. Upon receiving a text from Christine saying she was home, he grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet before leaving his room.

Rich looked up at his from the couch as he rushed by. “Where’re you off to?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Christine’s dorm,” Jake offered in response. “Have fun on your date.”

He closed the apartment door, leaving a very confused Rich in the living room. He hurried to his car and climbed inside, heading to Christine’s dorm.

He drove in silence, still trying to figure out what exactly he was going to tell her. He pulled into campus and parked his car in the visitor’s lot by her dorm. He got out, shutting the car door with his foot. He walked toward the entrance of her dorm. Jake texted Christine to alert here that he was waiting outside.

A few minutes later, Christine appeared in the doorway, still dressed in her pajamas even thought it was a little after two in the afternoon. She smiled upon seeing him, running over to hug him. At 5’2”, she was the shortest of their group so Jake, a whopping 6’3”, had to bend slightly in order to return her hug.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked as she led him inside her dorm.

Jake trailed behind her as they walked up the stairs to her room. She opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. He always liked Christine’s dorm room. She had a single room so it was a bit smaller than an average room but it was cozy. She had posters of her favorite musicals on her walls and fairy lights strung up.

He sat down on the beanbag chair that was tucked into the corner. Jake groaned and stared at the ceiling.

“It’s something big,” he sighed, stretching out his legs. “You missed out on ladies brunch but I was invited and–” he stopped.

Christine climbed onto her bed and looked at him expectantly.

Jake took a deep breath. “I’m- I’m pansexual.” He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “I said some stuff at brunch and Chloe helped me realized I’m, in fact, not straight and after looking up some things pansexual is what I feel comfortable identifying as.”

When Christine didn’t reply, Jake’s stomach turned. His anxiety was working overtime until he felt her arms wrap around him. He melted into Christine’s hug and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I’m so proud of you. Thank you for telling me,” she whispered into his hair. “I love and support you, Jake.”

“Thank you, Christine. It really means a lot coming from you.” He pulled back from her hug. “You know, when I was doing research, pansexuality really stuck out to me. Like I felt drawn to it. It felt like something inside me clicked after reading about what it was. I think deep down I’ve always known? Chloe said I was really oblivious to my feelings so I think that could be part of the reason I never realized. She isn’t wrong either, about me being oblivious and not picking up social cues very well. Remember senior year when I didn’t know Michael and Jeremy had been dating for three months until they explicitly told me?” He and Christine laughed at the memory. “I seriously thought that they were so close that platonic kisses were just something that was normal between them.”

Christine nodded, a small smile present on her face.

“There’s something else, too,” Jake admitted. “I– I like Rich. That’s why this whole conversation started at brunch. I thought the reason I hated seeing Rich with guys was because I was homophobic, then Chloe laughed at me before explaining to me I was jealous.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I think so. I still need to process all this so I might think over it for a little bit.”

“That’s a good idea,” Christine told him. “I don’t want you to do anything until you’re one hundred percent sure and comfortable.”

Jake nodded, smiling at her.

“Do you wanna watch a movie while you’re here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Absolutely.”

-

Upon returning to his apartment, empty since Rich was out on another date with Dustin, Jake collapsed onto the couch, drained from the day’s events. He agonized over his current situation. He didn’t keep secrets from Rich, but obviously this was something he couldn’t just tell him casually.

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone alerting him of a text.

 

**[ from: chlo ]**

**chlo** : <https://youtu.be/b1LNQBX8JwE> :)

 

He tapped on the link and rolled his eyes as he realized what the video was.

 

**[ to: chlo ]**

**jake** : don’t make fun of my suffering

 

Jake let the video play anyway as he contemplated telling Rich. He didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship, especially after they just had probably the biggest fight since they’d been friends. But on the other hand, he knew Rich and Rich wouldn’t let something like that get in the way of them being friends. He knew no matter what, Rich wouldn’t stop being his friend. But he didn’t want to be _just_ his friend, not anymore.

But Rich was so happy with Dustin. It made Jake sick with jealousy, but he didn’t want to get in the way of his best friend’s happiness for his own selfish reasons. He knew it wouldn’t be healthy for him to keep these feelings to himself to make Rich happy but he didn’t know if he could bring himself to tell him.

“God, I’m a mess,” he laughed at himself with pity.

Jake picked his phone up, cutting off Carly’s voice, and dialed Jenna’s number.

“Hey, Jake” she answered.

He could hear the sound of her keyboard clicking in the background. He stalled, “If this is a bad time, I can call later–”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” she said, cutting him off. “What’s up?”

The brunet sighed, placing his phone on his chest. “I’m putting you on speaker because I’m laying down and I don’t feel like holding the phone,” he rambled. “But I called to ask for advice. It’s about Rich.”

“Go on when you’re ready,” Jenna told him softly.

He took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts, thankful that she wasn’t pressuring him to talk. “We made up after I got back from brunch. I want to tell him. I don’t think I can be ‘just friends’ anymore.” He made the air quotes even though he knew Jenna couldn’t tell. “But he’s so happy with Dustin,” Jake told her bitterly. “And he’s my best friend. I _want_ him to be happy. But it’s killing me, now that I know what I’ve been feeling. I’m scared that if I tell him, it’ll ruin not only our friendship but his relationship with Dustin. And I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

After a beat of silence, Jenna spoke, “You’re Rich’s best friend. He would never let anything get in the way of that, not even the biggest fight you guys have ever had. Even if it’s just as friend, Rich loves you and nothing can change that.” She sighed, “I love you, Jake, but keeping these feelings to yourself just to make Rich happy isn’t healthy. You need to think about yourself, too. I’m not going to tell you what _you_ should do, but I’ll tell you what _I_ think you should do. I think you should tell him. There’s a strong chance that he feels the same way and even if he doesn’t, he’s not going to stop being your friend.”

Jake nodded to himself. “I know,” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know it’s not healthy but God, I love him so much and I don’t want to risk him hating me.”

The apartment door opened quietly. Rich walked inside, arms full of groceries, and Jake took his phone off of speaker as fast as he could, pressing it to his ear. Rich raised an eyebrow at him before heading into the kitchen to put things away.

“I know, honey, I know,” Jenna sympathized. “Do what you think is right. Do what will make _you_ happy.”

He smiled to himself, eyes falling to trail Rich as he moved around the kitchen. “I will. Thanks, Jenna. I really appreciate this. I’ll talk to you later.”

He could hear her smile when she replied, “Anytime, honey. Keep me updated.”

Jake hung up, breathing out a long sigh. Rich leaned over the couch, smiling at him. He returned it fondly.

“What’re you and Jenna talking about?” he asked, hovering over Jake’s face.

“I just called her for advice,” he admitted.

Rich nodded sagely. “She is the best at that.”

Jake laughed, which caused Rich’s smile to widen. “So,” he began, “how was your date with Dustin?”

The blond seemed to brighten at the change in topic, which sent a pang on jealousy through Jake, but he pushed it away for his best friend’s sake.

“It was nice. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, but I still had a lot of fun. We got an early dinner and talked for what seemed like hours,” Rich recounted.

Jake smiled tightly, nodding. “Sounds like you had a good time. He seems good for you. I’m glad you’re happy.”

Rich smiled again, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks, bro. Hey, do you wanna marathon the _Harry Potter_ movies, just the two of us?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Hell yeah, bro,” Jake grinned.

Rich cheered. “Alright, lemme make some popcorn and then we can get this party started!”

-

Jake couldn’t concentrate on the movies at all. He was hyper aware of Rich’s proximity. His legs were thrown over his lap while he rested his head on his shoulder. It was an awkward position but Rich didn’t seem to mind. He was blissfully unaware of Jake’s internal conflict as he snuggled closer to him.

He spent the first two movies switching between thinking over different ways to confess his feelings to Rich and watching Rich. He smiled to himself every time Rich would react to the movies, acting like it was his first time even though Jake knew very well he’d seen them a million times.

His eyes trailed over his features: his freckles, that dumb faded streak that he loved, his burn scars that he knew Rich secretly hated but Jake thought he looked beautiful. He went over every little thing he knew about Rich: how his nose scrunched up when he laughed; how he adored Brooke like she was his own sister; how even though he acted like a tough guy he was actually a huge softie, especially for his friends; how his father’s alcoholism brought him and his older brother closer together; how he wanted to go into social work because he didn’t want any other kids to go through what he did in his childhood.

He was blatantly staring now, memorizing every little detail about him. He didn’t register Rich pausing the movie.

“Uh, Jake? Are you okay?” he asked, looking warily at his best friend.

“I’m in love with you,” Jake blurted out, immediately mortified at his confession.

Rich pulled away from him, shock obviously present on his features. “Uhh, what?” he asked weakly, his voice soft and sort of hopeful, though it could’ve been Jake’s ears playing tricks on him.

“Fuck, okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that and freak you out. Shit, I’m so sorry, Rich,” Jake apologized, internally berating himself.

Rich grabbed his hands, using his thumbs to rub small circles against his palms, actively calming him down. “No, Jake, shh. It’s okay,” he whispered. “Just breathe. Talk when you’re ready.”

Jake took deep breaths, trying to warn off the panic attack that was definitely coming. He squeezed Rich’s hands in thanks, sinking into the couch, still embarrassed by his outburst.

“I didn’t mean to just say it like that. I had this whole speech planned out that explained everything but then I was looking at you and I couldn’t help it,” Jake explained. “I guess I should preface this whole thing by telling you I am, in fact, _not_ straight like I thought I was. At brunch today I told the girls everything I was dealing with and they actually helped me realize that I also like guys. You in particular but I’ll get to that in a bit,” he laughed nervously. “I can’t believe it took twenty years, apparent jealousy, and three girls to help me figure out I’m not straight. I’ll explain the jealousy thing in a second, because that’s where you come in.

“When I got home, after we made up, I immediately started researching different sexualities. I felt connected to pansexuality. Like it felt like something clicked the more I looked into it. I came out to Christine and told her that I think I’d always known I was pansexual but since I’m so oblivious to some things I just never realized. So, yeah. I’m pansexual.”

Jake risked a look at his best friend, who was holding his hands tightly. He did a double take when he saw tears roll down his face. He gently removed one of his hands from Rich’s grasp and without thinking, used his thumb to wipe them away. Realizing what he was doing, he began to pull his hand away but froze when Rich leaned into his touch. Jake’s heart stuttered and his apology died in his throat.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m so proud of you,” Rich said warmly, pulling him into a tight hug. Then he whispered, “I love you so much.”

Jake pulled back from the hug, letting his hands rest loosely on his waist. “Really?” he asked hopefully.

Rich rolled his eyes fondly. “Yes, really. All the constant closeness and shit like that was basically me taking advantage of the fact that you don’t care about touching. Also all the ‘flirting’ was like, actually me flirting with you but I figured it wouldn’t go anyway since you are, or you were, straight. But I meant it all, bro.”

Jake laughed. “You just confessed your love to me and you call me bro?”

“It’s a term of endearment,” Rich defended, cracking a smile. “But if I’m being honest, I was trying to get over you since I thought you were straight and I would never have a chance. That’s kinda where Dustin comes in. I know that makes me sound like a huge dick but he knows that I had– have a crush on you.” He dropped his gaze nervously. “The day we fought, he actually told me I should tell you. He said you were jealous but I didn’t believe him so that’s why I kept asking you all those questions and bringing up the friends with benefits thing you had with Chloe because I was jealous of her. I was hoping you’d slip up and admit something but you didn’t so I just left, which was childish but I was upset,” he finished with a shrug.

“Well, he was right.” Rich met his eyes. “After I told Chloe, Brooke, and Jenna everything Chlo laughed at me before telling me I was jealous and have a crush on you,” Jake elaborated. “Which brings me to the jealousy thing I mentioned earlier. I know you’re going to laugh at me but to be fair I’ve never been the best at recognizing my own feelings or actions of others so go easy on me.”

“Okay,” Rich said slowly, giving Jake his full attention.

“So as you know I’m not good at identifying my own feelings or picking up on certain social cues. Remember when Michael and Jeremy started dating and I thought they were just at a stage in their friendship where platonic kisses were normal and didn’t realize they were dating until they explicitly told me?” Jake stopped, getting distracted by Rich’s lips. He had a tendency to stick out his bottom lip when he was thinking.

Rich slapped him on the arm, jerking him out of his thoughts. He made a gesture for him to continue.

“Oh, right. Okay, so I had no idea that I was jealous. I actually thought that I was being homophobic and– Rich, _stop_ laughing! It’s not actually that funny!” Jake cut himself off when Rich fell back onto the couch into a fit of laughter.

Jake’s shoulders sagged as he waited for his best friend to stop laughing at him. At one point, Rich almost rolled off the couch. Jake rolled his eyes and grabbed Rich’s wrist, yanking him back into a seated position. The blond struggled to contain himself, wiping the tears out of his eyes. He snorted when Jake glared at him.

“I tell you I love you and you have the gall to laugh at me for that.”

“Okay, first of all, I don’t even know what gall means,” Rich pointed out as he attempted to collect himself. “And second of all, it _is_ funny! I can’t believe you thought you were homophobic! Jake, bro, I love you, but that is pretty dumb, even for you.”

“I know that! That’s what I would tell myself and then I’d start thinking about it late at night and like, reevaluate my whole life,” Jake admitted, earning another burst of laughter from his roommate.

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t homophobic and are actually in love with me,” Rich said fondly.

Jake looked at him with a smile. His eyes trailed down to his lips again. “Can I kiss you?” he found himself asking.

Rich went pink, and Jake thought it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “Y-yeah.”

Jake licked his lips, noticing Rich’s eyes follow the movement. He leaned forward, cupping the side of Rich’s face, stroking his cheek with his thumb. He could feel Rich’s breath against his lips. He looked at him, his gaze portraying the silent question– do you want this? Rich swallowed, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, and nodded curtly.

Jake closed the distance between them and it felt like time stopped. Their lips moved together softly. Rich leaned into him, his fingers curling around his shirt. Jake moved his hands down to Rich’s waist, grabbing it tightly. The blond smirked against his lips as he moved to straddle Jake, not bothering to break the kiss. He dragged his fingers through his hair, causing the brunet to gasp. Rich slipped his tongue inside his mouth, cupping the back of Jake’s neck.

He’d never felt this way kissing anyone else. Not Madeline, not even Chloe. It’s like something clicked into place when he kissed Rich. He felt familiar. Like _home_. He grinned against Rich’s mouth, happier than he’d been in a long time.

“So,” Jake prompted as he moved to kiss at Rich’s neck, “I take it we’re boyfriends now?”

“No,” Rich told him sadly. He struggled to keep his solemn composure when Jake jerked up to look at him. “We’re _bro_ friends.”

The bruent rolled his eyes, sighing in relief. “You absolute bastard.”

“Yeah,” Rich snickered. “But you love me.”

Jake chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

-

**[ squip squad ]**

**bi bi bi** : straight guy worries he's being homophobic to bisexual roommate, realizes he's actually in love with him ;) ;) ;)

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY!! after almost five months of writing, it's finished!! i put so much effort into this fic so i hope you all enjoy it!!  
>   
> also you can listen to apt 172 jams [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/jojenstarked/playlist/1c4tyfai47HzzLw4RsjLkk?si=6HfSqUu9SIuaUwU5f4yw6w) and [here's](https://open.spotify.com/user/jojenstarked/playlist/08YA5tXA16h2JETRykPuUg?si=X0KWD49ySDaK9i8xnYbnpA) the playlist inspired by the fic!
> 
> find me on [tumblr!](http://joeshardy.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ALSO THEY JUST ANNOUNCED A BROADWAY TRANSFER GAYS WIN


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